We Four Stand Together
by Goldie Gamgee
Summary: A girl (and boy) in Middle Earth like it should be written. No romance between thirteen year old girls and men three times their age, no Mary-sues, no becoming better in weaponry than Legolas and Aragorn in a week, no ditzy sixteen year old girls joining the fellowship. *Book verse*, with massive plot twists. Actual summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Blurb: **

**A girl (and boy) in Middle Earth like it should be written. No romance between thirteen year old girls and men three times their age, no Mary-sues, no becoming better in weaponry than Legolas and Aragorn in a week, no ditzy sixteen year old girls joining the fellowship. *Book verse*, with massive plot twists. A group of four friends leave intermediate never to see each other again. Ten years on, they are abruptly brought back together for the most frightening years of their lives.**

**A/N: This is a girl in Middle Earth how it should be written! One thing: if you tell me my characters are Mary-sues:**

**Thanks, I'll try my best to fix it.**

**I feel a little offended; because these characters are based on my friends, and so you're basically saying my friends are Mary-sues. **

**As I said just then- the characters are based on my friends. I really am friends with a bubbly, happy brunette, a clever, slightly eccentric ginger and a Thai boy who is malnourished (Lol. We've all bet he's gonna get diabetes when he gets older.) We really are going to those different schools, we really do like those Fandoms, I really did hate my two years at intermediate, and I really did say, "If I cry, it'll be tears of joy." At the end. In fact, it's just the names, the fact Tran was there on the last day of school (in real life he was on a plane to Thailand) and the fact they never see each other again that is different. (Well, Ginny and Lola do, and a little bit Julia, but they more or less split.) **

**The first chapter is just really introducing the characters and setting up the story. Enjoy, and please review.**

…..

Lola felt incredibly tired as she sat, gazing at her principal with unseeing eyes. She self-consciously touched an impending zit on her nose and returned to her thoughts.

It was the last day of her intermediate years, and she (and the other 700 pre-teens at her school) sat in the school's performing arts centre.

The principal droned on. Lola looked over at her best friend, Julia, but stopped when she met the scalding eyes of a teacher.

The last two years at the school had been the most hellish of her life. Her teacher had been awful, the principal had been awful and the students around her were so immature she felt like screaming.

The end of year assembly was still plodding on. The bell rang, and Lola felt the weight of the last two years fall from her shoulders.

…..

"I feel like," Lola announced to her friends, Julia and Ginny, "I have just woken up from a long, terrible nightmare."

"Don't be so pessimistic," Ginny scolded, flicking her long ginger ponytail over her shoulder.

"Well, come on, the school was crap," Lola sighed. Julia turned to face her.

"Was that necessary?" She asked incredulously, "Did you really have to say, 'crap'. Why couldn't you use, 'bad'?"

Lola was used to this scolding whenever she said something vaguely vulgar slang. "Yes. It was totally necessary!"

"It's the end of the year!" A male voice came from behind them.

"Hey ho!" Ginny cried.

Tran pushed his wide-rimmed glasses further up his nose and joined in at their stride. The pale Thai boy had been their friend for the last year.

"You know, it's kinda weird how the most boring assembly ever was on the last day of school," Ginny scuffed her shoe on the concrete.

"They did it to torture us," Julia laughed.

"Well, I just sat there wishing I was in Middle Earth," Lola told them. All three of them groaned. Lola was obsessed with Lord of the Rings and all things Tolkien.

All four of them had a Fandom each. Lola's was Lord of the Rings, Ginny's was Percy Jackson, Julia's was Harry Potter (with a bit of Maximum Ride and Doctor Who thrown in) and Tran (although he wasn't really obsessed with his Fandom) was The Hunger Games. Their Fandoms sometimes tore them apart in loud debates of whose was better- mostly between Julia and Lola, with their Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter clash. However, Julia didn't like conflict, and usually stopped it before it could get too intense. Ginny, however, was always up for a debate. She and Lola once held a debate that went over three months about whether cliché should be erased from the English language- with Julia screaming at them to shut up.

Julia opened the door for the other three and they entered the corridor.

"The last time we will walk down this corridor…" She said wistfully.

"The last time we will listen to Mr Humphries talk about the five keys to school success!" Ginny grinned at her, joining in on the game.

"The last time we will walk through this door…" Julia said as they walked into their classroom.

"And thank god, too," Lola added.

"I actually didn't have a bad year," Ginny frowned, "I'm kinda sad to be leaving."

"I might cry," Julia sniffed, "Just because of all the people I'll miss,"

"If I cry," Lola stated bluntly, "It will be tears of joy."

Tran picked up his schoolbag and hefted it over his shoulder. "I'm not gonna stay for long," He nodded towards the scene to their left.

There were several girls crying and hugging each other, and Mrs Norman being cried over by a couple of teacher's pets.

Ginny made a retching noise. "I'm sad, but not that sad."

"Well, guys…" Julia sighed sadly, "I guess this is the end."

They walked out into the corridor, and then out onto the netball courts in silence. Ginny and Lola were going to the same school, Julia was going to another one, and Tran was going to an all-boys school.

"Well… I guess this is goodbye," Ginny shrugged.

"Yeah…" Lola said.

"We had some good times…" Julia reminisced.

"Well, Tran- I hope you eat while we're gone!" Ginny grinned. Tran was very thin- and they all claimed him to be malnourished. He ate nothing at school for morning tea, and only a carton of chocolate milk for lunch.

Tran pouted.

"Stay ginger, Ginny!" Julia cried, flinging her arms around her.

"Stay brunette, Julia- and Lola!" Ginny smiled.

She went to hug Lola, but Lola backed away. "I don't like hugs!"

"Bye-bye Tran, bye-bye Ginny, bye-bye Lola," Julia said sadly.

The group began to walk in their separate directions.

"Have a very Merry and Pippin Christmas!" Lola cried, waving to the others.

"Be visited by Gandalf-Santa!" Ginny grinned.

…..

The last time the foursome would stand together as a foursome.

The last time the foursome would stand together as a foursome- in this world.

…..

**A/N: Review! Tell me how to improve, what to improve. Don't bother flaming me if you can't justify your criticisms, and I don't need twenty people yelling at me "OMG YOUR STORY SUCKS" (I can take a hint. I'm not stupid.)**

**Review! The review button needs some TLC.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi! Thanks to all those reviews! They really made my day! :)**

**Just an answer to a question: no, after consulting with a couple of people I will not tackle the challenge of Westron not being English. It would be impossible to write a story with that fact looming, so I will not. Tolkien wrote Westron as English, and so shall I. **

**And to the person who like the fact Lola has a zit: haha, thanks. I didn't think anyone would notice that little detail. :)**

**And by the way, the story is set in New Zealand, but the first chapter is also set in my hometown, which means I won't reveal it. It's not a ****_small_**** small town, but it's not a big city, to those who want to know.**

**Sorry that the first two chapters are short! They will get longer in the next chapter (hopefully). **

**Also, I don't own Massey University. **

**P.S. Please take note of the dates in which these events happen, otherwise you might get confuzzled. :/**

…..

_Daily News_

_July 9__th__, 2017_

_Seventeen-year-old Tran Tongskill has been reported to be missing after his parents found his room deserted without a trace. _

_Police have been searching, but have found no evidence of murder, kidnap or suicide. _

_"We've put notices on radio and newspaper, but there has been no response. Nobody has seen him," says Constable Flanagan. "If you spot a tall, thin, pale, Thai boy with black hair and black, wide-rimmed glasses, call the police immediately."_

…..

[2nd August 2023]

"Phillip! I'm home!"

Twenty-two year old Julia Peters burst through the front door of her flat. Her boyfriend, Phillip, sat on a worn pale cream sofa, watching Food TV.

"Hey," Phillip turned to greet her, "Where were you?"

"Buying groceries," Julia plonked two cloth bags on the kitchen bench (she was against using plastic.) She unearthed an array of vegetables she would use to cook some concoction later.

Their flat was a little worn, filled with second hand furniture they had picked up wherever they could. Julia absentmindedly picked up a novelty cherub shaped saltshaker (that Phillip said looked ugly as hell) and made her way to sit on the couch too.

Julia was living in Palmerston North, working part-time as a photojournalist as well as studying veterinarian science at Massey University.

Phillip casually put an arm around her and ran a hand through his thick, curly hair. "What are you making for dinner?"

"Vegetable Lasagne," Julia answered. She was quite a competent cook, and sometimes (when she could be bothered) made it from scratch.

They sat in silence, watching Jamie Oliver make mouth-watering meals on the TV for a while.

"I was just thinking," Phillip began, "You know your old intermediate friend, what was his name…?"

"Tran," Julia reminded him.

"Have they found him yet?"

"He's still missing," Julia sighed, "The police are useless, aren't they? It's been five years! I really feel for his family. They must be so upset. Apparently hardly anything was done on the case, apart from a few missing notices."

"Nothing was done, because there was no evidence!" Phillip argued, "I hear they couldn't find anything- they dusted a heap of stuff, but didn't discover any fingerprints except his own and his family's. His parents knew he was in his room, and he couldn't have jumped out the window because it was a two-storey house and it wasn't open. It wasn't murder, it wasn't suicide. There was nothing done because there was nothing to go by. It totally stumped them!"

"I guess," Julia sighed. She didn't want to get into an argument.

…..

Julia turned over and the duvet rustled. She felt hot and sticky, even though it was the middle of winter.

Phillip was in a deep sleep beside her. Not being able to take it anymore, she clambered clumsily out of the bed and padded silently into the kitchen.

Her teeth clinked against the glass as she sipped at a glass of water. Her hands shook in the sudden cold. She sat in the kitchen for a long time, still holding the empty glass, deep within thought.

She made her way across the threadbare carpet and sat cross-legged on the sofa.

"What am I doing?" She whispered into the darkness, even though she didn't know why she was asking.

She was listless. Her life was a broken record. All she was doing was setting herself up for something she didn't want to be doing for the rest of her life. She didn't want to be a photojournalist. She didn't want to be a vet.

"What am I doing?" She repeated.

Her malcontent had transformed itself into long, sleepless nights spent lying next to Phillip, but still alone, reminiscing about how cheerful she had been in her youth.

She spent an hour staring at the closed curtains. Then she went back to her room.

…..

There was a baby. It was small, far away but hard and clear. It was lying still, facedown, floating in a vast, luminous coalescence of water. It was beautiful and disturbing and sorrowful and terrible. The surface of the water was so motionless and the surface like that of burnished glass.

The water began to ripple and bubble, and then waves formed, small at first, before becoming larger and more terrifying. They sprang up in the form of grotesque monsters, spitting and roaring and falling into nothing before springing up again, bigger then ever. In the middle of the storm was the baby, now revived and babbling thoughtless idiom- seemingly undaunted by the waves.

But then the waves became walls of white fire. She stood on a small plateau, unable to move as the flames devoured the baby. Then everything turned white.

She stood alone in the vast world of endless, aching, echoing nothingness. Her head throbbed with the weight of an unknown fear. Then she saw him.

A man, an old man with wise eyes. He was cloaked in grey. He spoke, but she could not hear him at first. Then the volume was enhanced, and he seemed to her to be speaking in a strange glossolalia, strange- but beautiful. However, it terrified her to the point when she began to run.

Black fell over the whiteness in a moonless, starless night. She walked alone in the dark, and the ebony choked her. She willed herself to awaken, but she would not. She fell to her knees, sobbing and gasping and retching as she was starved of air and drained of life. The floor beneath her disappeared.

She fell, but she could no longer feel. The darkness swallowed her whole.

…..

Phillip woke at six o'clock. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and yawned.

He rolled over to face Julia and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Jules," He whispered, "Wake up!"

Julia was a light sleeper, and this would normally wake her up immediately. However, it didn't, and Phillip tried again, a bit louder. "Julia!"

He took a proper look at her. Her face was screwed up a little, as if she was frowning. Maybe she was pretending. Phillip grinned, and began to tickle her. "Julia!"

She still didn't stir. Phillip stopped, feeling a little bit worried. He could see she was still breathing, and when he felt her pulse it was still throbbing. He poked her.

"Julia?" He said shakily.

No response. He shook her. "Julia!"

He sat, shaking, feeling sick to the stomach. He gathered all his breath and screamed, "JULIA!"

But she did not stir.

His fingers were shaking as he dialled in 111.

…

The ambulance didn't take long to arrive.

As Phillip sat in the back wearing a shirt and jeans, bending over his motionless girlfriend, a paramedic approached him.

"She's in a coma," He explained, "Do you have any idea how this happened?"

"No," Phillip managed to choke as he felt the blood draining from his face. Her brow was still furrowed and he wanted to straighten it out, but was afraid her skin would feel waxy and cold.

It was the longest car trip of his life.

…..

**A/N: I'm sorry to anyone who's wondering why the world isn't much different in the year 2023- it is different, just not in the ways of universities, flats, furniture, cooking and ambulances. :)**

**Please review! It makes me want to write more, and it makes the review button happy! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Only one review for the last chapter! Thank you to my one reviewer- your support is appreciated.**

**This chapter is as longer then the last two put together! :3**

…..

[3rd August, T.A. 3018]

Julia frowned.

There was a stone sticking into her back. Not the most pleasant of feelings- but she felt even worse when she realized she was wet.

She opened her eyes, and found she was in what seemed to be a dark alleyway. She was lying in a drain, and she was rather damp. She was still wearing her cloud-themed pyjamas, but instead of her comfortable bed- she was here.

She struggled to her feet and looked around. It was nighttime, not super dark but dimming, and there was a light drizzle of rain tapping on the roofs of the stone houses around her. She felt like crying.

_What was going on?_

She had never been here in her life; she didn't recognize any of it. "What should I do?" She asked out loud.

"Who's that?"

She jumped a little, not expecting to be answered. The voice was a little familiar, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before.

"Who's there?" The voice asked. Then it paused. "Can you help me? I'm not totally sure why I'm here."

"Neither," Julia answered shakily, deciding the voice seemed harmless enough. "I'm in this alleyway. Where are you?"

Suddenly, round the corner came a woman. She was wearing pink polka-dot pyjama pants and a tight-fitting red tank top. She had brown hair that came just past her shoulders, hanging limply for how wet it was.

Julia felt her heart skip a beat. It- how?

The woman gaped and stepped forward. "Is… that…"

"Lola?" Julia asked tentatively.

There was a moment of silence, before the woman broke out into a massive grin and said, "Julia!"

They had a massive embrace, both laughing.

"I haven't seen you for… what is it now, seven years?" Lola cocked he head to the side as she tried to remember.

"What have you been doing?" Julia asked.

"Just in Auckland. I'm studying at the uni there- in palaeontology," Lola grinned, but then frowned. "I'm not sure why I'm here, though. Where _is_ here, exactly?"

"I'm not sure…" Julia trailed off, looking around, "Doesn't look like any town I've ever seen in New Zealand."

"Doesn't even look like a town from the modern world," Lola snorted, "Come on, let's go ask around somewhere,"

The two young women tentatively sneaked out of the alleyway. The cobblestone roads were hard on their feet, for they had no shoes. There weren't many people up, and most of them looked kind of dodgy. They were all quite short and squat with dark hair.

Finally they saw someone they thought they could probably ask- a tall woman leaning against a wall, wearing clothes that looked pretty normal.

"Excuse me…" Lola asked, "Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but…"

She was cut off as the woman turned around. She had ginger hair and grey eyes.

All three women gaped. Then Lola managed to gasp, "Ginny?"

The woman smiled. "This is quite the reunion, isn't it?"

"Oh my god, this is amazing!" Lola grinned, as Julia gave Ginny a hug. Ginny tried to give Lola one too, but she backed away. "I don't like hugs."

"Why are you wearing clothes instead of pyjamas?" Julia asked.

"I was staying up late. What are we doing here?" Ginny asked.

"We don't know," Julia sighed, "We were going to ask you, but… turns out you were you. Anyway, we should probably find someone to ask."

…..

The three of them wandered the streets, collecting some stares from passers-by. The damp and derelict town was only getting more and more dreary as they walked, and they were all of them too afraid to approach someone.

Suddenly, Lola stopped in her tracks.

"Um, guys… is that what I think it is?" She mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, confused.

"That…" Lola whispered, before she fainted.

Julia managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Meanwhile, Ginny looked around for something that could've caused the fainting spell.

Then she saw it.

"That looks… familiar," She mumbled, moving towards it.

Julia called to Ginny, "She's waking."

Lola opened her eyes and shakily stood to her feet.

"That," She pointed, "That sign!"

"What about it?" Ginny asked, frowning.

"The Prancing Pony," Lola said grimly, "Does that ring a bell?"

"As a matter of fact, it does," Ginny said thoughtfully, "Where have I heard that- oh! Isn't it that inn in Bree in the Lord of the Rings?"

There was silence.

"Oh," Ginny said as she realized. "Oh. Oh. Oh."

….

"It could be just a dream," Julia reasoned.

"It could be, but my dreams are usually more random, and I usually can't feel anything," Lola contradicted. "And in that case we would all be having the same dream- which isn't possible."

"So you really think we're in Bree?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Lola grimaced, "Yeah, I think we are."

The reality began to sink in.

"Well, this is frightening," Julia stammered, "What do we do now?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't want to live on the streets," Ginny said, staring at the rain, which was becoming heavier.

"We'll need to find some clothes," said Lola, "If we don't fit in, we'll never make it here."

"We don't have any money," Julia told her.

There was silence as the three thought.

"I have this," Ginny pointed to a necklace hanging around her neck. It was golden leaves, twining around each other in the shape of a heart on a gold chain.

"How much do you think it's worth?" Julia asked.

"It's gold," Ginny told her, "I had it checked out. A former boyfriend bought it and gave it to me, for a birthday present."

"Oh Ginny! You can't use that- it's special to you!" Lola protested.

"No it's not," Ginny laughed, "I only wear it because it's pretty. The boyfriend cheated on me- I'd be glad to see the last of it."

"But where can we sell it?" Lola asked.

"We'll just give it to a shop owner," Ginny shrugged, "We'd better hurry- it's getting dark, and the shops will be closing up soon."

…..

The stumbled around Bree, wind and rain blowing in their faces, peeking in the shops, looking for one that sold clothes. It was weary work, and they were all three of them ready to give up- when they finally found one.

The stout, plump woman was just closing up when they entered, bedraggled and wet.

"I'm sorry to disturb you as you're closing up," Said Ginny, "But I'm afraid we're in need of attire."

"Ai," The woman agreed, looking them up and down, "You are. Where are you from? Your accents are foreign."

The three women looked at each other.

"It's a place you won't know of. It's very difficult to explain, and you must be in a hurry," Ginny said hastily, "There's also a slight problem- we don't have the right type of money for Bree, and we have no means of payment except this," Ginny held out the necklace.

The woman didn't bat an eyelash when Ginny said Bree, which meant that they had guessed correctly. She took the necklace and peered at it.

"Now, I'm no barterer," The woman told them, "But this is a very pretty necklace."

"It's real gold," Lola butted in, "We swear on our lives."

The woman looked at them, astonished.

"Well, is it now?" She smiled, "Do I have your word on that?"

"Our word," said Ginny.

The woman stood there, deep in thought.

"Alright," She said at length, "Choose an outfit each."

"Thank you so much, kind madam," Ginny gushed, "That is truly generous!"

As the woman walked into the back room of the store, Lola turned to Ginny and said, "You did well with the posh way of talking. I wouldn't have remembered that,"

"Quick thinking," Ginny tapped her head. Julia had already raced off to look at the clothes.

They were all very old-fashioned dresses, mostly in dark winter colours, deep greens and reds and purples.

"Choose for durability, not fashion," Ginny told them.

…..

Lola and Julia both chose dull red dresses, Lola's with a black neckline, and Julia's with green. Ginny chose a dark, leaf green dress with a purple ribbon about the waist.

Ginny called the woman in to ask her if they could get dressed there. She allowed it.

"What should we do with our old clothes?" Lola asked.

"Chuck them out- no, on second thought, keep them. Use them as pyjamas," Ginny reasoned.

They folded up their old clothes and went to thank the shop owner.

"Thank you very much," Ginny told her graciously, "It means a lot to us,"

The woman pressed eight silver pennies into Lola's hand.

"No, I couldn't-' Lola protested, but the woman silenced her.

"I am reasonably well off," She said, smiling, "And you won't get far in Bree without money- or lodge. There are some dodgy people on the streets- be careful."

"Thank you, you have been too kind," Lola grinned, "What is your name?"

"Call me Martha," The woman introduced herself, "Now, I'm sorry, I must close up now,"

"Thank you, and goodbye!" They waved to her as they walked out the door.

…..

"Well, that was kind of easy," Julia said at length as they walked down the street.

"That was incredibly lucky," Lola warned her, "Don't expect that from everybody."

"Well, now we have money- we need to find board," Ginny thought for a moment, "What about the Prancing Pony? We know that place,"

"Isn't it full of dodgy guys?" Julia screwed up her nose, "Phillip rented out The Fellowship of the Ring just the other week." She was suddenly reminded of Phillip, and dread began to settle in her stomach.

"Who's Phillip?" Lola frowned.

"My boyfriend." Julia replied.

"Well, yeah I think it is full of dodgy guys, but the hobbits did ok, right?" Ginny shrugged.

"Butterbur is nice," Lola reminded them.

"Yeah," Julia grumbled, rather sick of the little adventure, "No we just have to walk through the pouring rain to find it!"

"I think I remember the way," Ginny peered into the darkness, "This path."

…..

"Oh! It must be this way!"

"Oh for f—"

"Wait, got it wrong. Turn back. This path."

"Ginny—"

"Oh, dammit. Dropped a coin. I can't see it. Lola, can you pick that up?"

"Gin—"

"Aha! It must be this way! I remember this lamppost!"

"The lampposts all look the same—"

"Oh, never mind. Never seen this place in my life."

"Ginny—"

"I know! It's this way!"

"Ginny, we're lost."

"No we're not."

"We've been here before. We're going in circles." Julia cast a sideways glance at her ginger friend.

There was silence.

"Maybe you should lead, Julia."

…..

With Julia's lead, they found the Prancing Pony within the next ten minutes. Through the dusty windows they could see the glowing candles- it looked homely and warm.

"It must be good," Lola smiled, "Tom Bombadil recommended it in the book."

"Yay!" said Ginny, who had been rather fond of Tom Bombadil when she read the books.

Lola pushed open the door and welcomed the smell of oak and sawdust. The inn seemed bright and bubbly, and the three entered feeling instantly better about their situation.

"Hello… excuse me…" Lola tried to talk to the short, bearded man bustling about wearing a white apron.

"Excuse me!" Ginny tried, a little louder, and the man stopped.

"Oh, hello!" The man (presumably Barliman Butterbur) greeted them, "What can I do for you?"

"We'd like beds for three, please, and maybe something to eat?" Ginny asked, "Eight pennies is all we have, though. Will that cover it?"

"Oh, of course!" The man smiled, "Beds for three… Nob! Where are you? Nob!"

A hobbit bounded over, "Yes?"

"Supper, and beds for three!" Butterbur ordered, spinning around and entering a door, before coming out again a few seconds later, "Follow me,"

He led them to a parlour, a cosy room with a fireplace flickering and a table already set out with chairs.

…

The three of them ate their fill of bread and hot soup and cheese, before they were lead to their room. There were three beds set up, and they crashed on them instantly.

"So, Ginny, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Lola asked, yawning.

Ginny frowned. "I don't know."

There was silence. Without saying goodnight, one by one, they dropped off to sleep.

…..

**A/N: The review button is your friend! :D**

**Press it.**

**Now. -.-**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Lotta reviews on the last chapter! In fact, in total, there are… ten new reviews! Whoa! (I know there are people who get hundreds, but ten is a lot for me. :D) In case anyone's wondering, the updates are pretty quick coz it's the school holidays, and I have nothing to do. I put out a chapter, and then sit down at my Boromir chair (a chair covered with pictures of Boromir: don't ask, and no, I don't fangirl over Boromir) in front of my laptop (my laptop's name is Gandalf, by the way) and spend the rest of the day writing tomorrow's chapter! **

**Answers to a few questions:**

**SamwiseKenoli: He dials 111 because the New Zealand emergency services number is 111, and he lives there. Also, it depends what you mean by 'joining the Fellowship'. If you mean Elrond sitting down and saying, "You guys are in the Fellowship of the Ring," then all I can say is no. No, it doesn't happen, because that's the most illogical thing about a girl (boy) in Middle Earth story. **

**Chelogurl7123: By the time they're adults they're pretty much over the whole Fandom thing. I guess there could've been more stuff in the first chapter though. Thanks!**

**Melissa: I love lengthy reviews, though when I saw yours I started to get rather afraid it was my first flame! (Especially when we got to the part about people failing the resurrect the cliché plots, got really worried there!) It was a lovely review, but now I'm under a lot of pressure to keep hitting the mark and keeping up the standard! :P Thanks!**

**The reviews are what keep me going! If I didn't have the reviews, I would've given up in the first chapter. (I've done that twice now with other fics- there wasn't enough demand, so I shut them down.) I write because I want others to enjoy my work, just like a chef cooks for other people to eat their food and like it. Thankyou so much! Lots of love and internet fudge!**

…..

[4th August, T.A. 3018]

Lola woke to the sound of Ginny's long nails going tap, tap, tappity-tap on the half-empty glass sitting on the bedside table. She sat up groggily and took in her surroundings.

There were three beds in the room. She was lying in the one closest to the door, next to her was Ginny, and on the far side was Julia. Her sheets were tangled up in her legs, but she still felt tired, so didn't bother untangling them.

There was a small wooden table, which had the glass of water sitting on it (the one Ginny was tapping). Across the room was a metal tub, probably for bathing. There was a window, shielded by curtains, which were an ugly shade of red.

She turned to face Ginny. "Good morning."

"Morning," Ginny greeted her. "Julia's still asleep."

"What are we going to do today?" Lola asked.

"Just been thinking about that," Ginny grimaced, "I haven't even thought about Lord of the Rings for about five years, but I remember a lot of stuff. I think there are two people who can help us: Gandalf or Elrond."

"Both of which are inaccessible," said Lola.

"Not necessarily," Ginny waggled her finger comically. "Gandalf _is_ inaccessible, because we don't know where he is. However, Elrond is. He's in Rivendell. If we could get there, then we could ask him."

"Rivendell is weeks, even months away," Lola argued.

Ginny agreed, "Yes, it is. And we don't know what year it is."

"Well, Elrond will still be there: I know that much. If old Butterbur is still alive, Elrond will be there."

"Ok then. So Elrond is there: we could somehow get to Rivendell." Ginny explained, "And ask. He's our only chance of understanding."

"It'll be too dangerous, and we have no supplies, _and_ we can't fend for ourselves." Lola reminded her.

"Well, ok, we won't go too far into the future. What we need to do _today_ is to set up a life in Bree."

"What are we going to do in Bree?" Lola screwed up her nose.

"I had an idea," Ginny said tentatively, "A crazy idea, but it just might work."

"What?" Lola asked, suddenly curious.

"Barmaids," Ginny said seriously, "As far as I know, Butterbur doesn't have any. He's always rushing around doing everything himself, and barmaids could help serving the drinks and such."

Lola struggled not to laugh. "Barmaids? What if he already has some? I know it never mentions anyone, but there could be."

"Then we'll find something else to help him with," Ginny sighed, "You're such a pessimist!"

Lola mock-pouted.

"Stop being childish: this is serious. Anyway, if we find something to help him with (such as barmaids) it will pay for our board and probably our food. Butterbur is probably well off running this inn: maybe he'll give us some money as well, to keep us going." Ginny said logically.

"I don't know how you can think straight this early in the morning," Lola rubbed her eyes.

"He's a decent man," Ginny said, "He'll help us out, hopefully."

Julia began to stir.

"Will we have to wear uniforms?" Lola asked.

"Uniforms for what?" Julia asked sleepily, waking up.

"I don't know," Ginny told Lola, before turning to Julia and beginning to fill her in on the plans.

"You're insane," Julia said solemnly, "That'll never work."

Ginny was a little surprised. Julia was usually the optimist.

"Why not?" Lola asked.

"Because he'll want to know our backgrounds and such," Julia replied, "And we can't explain that to him."

"No he won't," Ginny argued, "This is Bree: it's old fashioned, they won't ask too many questions."

Julia looked a little uneasy, but agreed, "I suppose… in which case, it might…"

…..

"Hello? Barliman?" Lola called out tentatively. The bar was less crowded in the morning, and the noise was kept to a hum.

They had only sent Lola out to ask for a reason: she knew the most about Middle Earth. The other two weren't coming with her, because they didn't want to put Butterbur off by intimidating him.

"Barliman?" She called. Suddenly he was standing in front of her.

"Good morning there! What can I do for you?" He asked cheerily.

"Uh, Butterbur," She said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Why, of course!" He smiled, "What is it?"

"Well, you see…" She began, and then it all came out in a rush, "My friends and I found ourselves in Bree with no clothes, money or lodge. We managed to get those things, but we spent all our money on lodge, and we wanted to set up a new life in Bree: we were wondering if you would be so kind as to let us work for you in return for lodging and food?"

Barliman Butterbur's moustache twitched. "Work for me? As what?"

"Barmaids, sir," Lola explained, feeling herself blush a little for the craziness of it all. "Or anything else that needs to be done. We could be very useful."

Butterbur thought for a moment.

"I'll need to consider this," He told her, "I will think about it."

"Thank you, sir," Lola said politely, and then took her leave.

…..

"I don't think he likes the idea." Lola said, back in their room, "But I think he understands we're in a spot of trouble. I think he wants to help us, but can't find the best way to do it."

"What do you mean, 'The best way to do it'?" Julia asked.

"Like, he doesn't know whether to accept the offer, or just give us some money and send us away, or what," Lola explained. "I think he's confused."

"Well, he said he'd think about it," Ginny shrugged, "That's better then a straight-out no."

"True," Lola agreed.

"Hey Ginny, what were you doing before this happened?" Julia asked changing the subject drastically.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, as in, were you at uni, or—"

"I was studying photography at art school in New Plymouth," Ginny answered, "I'd love to be a photographer."

"That's sounds interesting," Lola said absentmindedly, obviously thinking about something completely different.

They talked for about an hour, remembering fun times from their intermediate years, talking about what might happen next, and wondering why _it_ had happened.

"Should we go down for something to eat?" Julia suggested. They both nodded.

…..

As soon as they got down, Butterbur came over to talk to them.

"Ok, it's a deal," He said suddenly.

"That didn't take long to think about," Lola said, slightly amused.

"Well, as soon as you left, I was bowled down by about seven people all asking about different things! I decided you could prove useful after all," He laughed.

"Ok, so… details? When do we start, what do we wear, what are we doing?" Ginny asked.

"You'll start tomorrow. I'll show you around sometime today, to give you a feel for what's involved and such."

"Do we just wear what we have?" Lola queried.

"Yes, but you'll get an apron to wear over top," Butterbur explained.

The three women looked at each other.

"This is completely insane." Lola stated bluntly. The other two agreed.

…..

[29th September, T.A. 3018]

Lola bustled through the crowds of people, her skirts swishing around her ankles and two mugs of ale clutched in her hands. A lively song was being sung a few tables away, and there was laughter in the air.

She set them down in front of their owners and said a brisk "There you go!" before turning back and walking away. She had learnt fast that in this position you're better to say little and be gone quickly, or you might end up in a situation you'd rather not be in.

Lola walked back to the kitchen. Ginny too was returning from delivering a couple of drinks, and gave her a smile.

As they entered the kitchen, Julia was suddenly there, shoving three bowls of hot pumpkin soup into Ginny's arms.

"These go to that group in the corner," She pointed out. Ginny walked away, juggling with the bowls and trying her best not to slop the contents all over the side.

"It's busy today, isn't it?" Lola mused.

"Mmmm," Julia acknowledged the comment, while at the same time loading some bread and butter onto a plate. "Take these out- they're for the table at the back."

Lola took the two plates and headed out again. She was just setting them down on the table, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

There was a man sitting in the corner, a bedraggled looking man. His face was obscured beneath his hood, and shadows played across his tattered cape. A long curl of smoke rose from his wooden pipe.

Lola took a sharp intake of breath and wheeled around quickly, a mixture of fear and excitement rising in her stomach.

She rushed back to the kitchen. Julia handed her a tall tankard filled with beer.

"Man at the back in the corner," She pointed.

"That's Aragorn," Lola whispered.

"Yes, I—what?" Julia's eyes widened, 'Aragorn?"

"Not so loud," Lola warned her, "Yes. I think."

"There could be any amount of shady men who will sit in that corner," Julia reasoned, "It might not be him,"

Lola shrugged, "Maybe so. But it fits the description in the book,"

"You can remember the description in the book?"

"I must have read it a million times," Lola smiled a little.

Then she turned on her heel and returned to the noisy bar.

Cautiously, she approached the man, feeling a little bit nervous, but curious. Was it Aragorn?

She reached him and handed him the tankard. "Here you go,"

"Thank you," He said gruffly.

Lola gulped. "Um… I was just wondering… I've seen you around before, but I never caught your name…"

The man looked up slightly, face still covered. "They call me Strider." Then he lowered his head again.

She wanted to tell him she knew who he was, but was too frightened of what he might do, or what he might think. Instead, she walked away.

"It is," Lola told Julia as she walked back into the kitchen.

"It is what?" Julia frowned, ladling soup into four wooden bowls.

"Him," Lola said impatiently, "Aragorn!"

Julia's mouth dropped open- and she simultaneously dropped the ladle in the pot. "Ah, dammit. Anyway, wow! That's so weird. This means we must be in the year… I don't know, I'm not a Tolkien whiz."

"The year 3018, third age." Lola told her.

Ginny suddenly turned up. "Hey ho."

"Aragorn's here." Lola said abruptly.

"What?" Ginny cried.

"Shhh!" Lola warned her, "He's sitting in the corner. This means we're in the year of the War of the Ring, or one of the years before"

"Well, that's alright, they saved Middle Earth in the end," Ginny shrugged, "That's pretty cool, actually."

"Yeah," Lola grinned.

"You guys better both take this soup," Julia pushed the bowls towards them.

As the pair walked back into the hubbub, Lola pointed him out. "Look, there he is,"

Ginny looked. "Whoa. He looks kinda shady, eh?"

Lola laughed, and they set the bowls down at the table. "Not very kingly at all, eh?"

Butterbur bustled past. "Busy night, eh girls? You're doing a good job."

"Thanks," Lola called, as she and Ginny slipped back into the kitchen.

…..

Julia was feeling quite tired from all the running around preparing the food. The kitchen was even stuffier than the common room, she found, and she cursed the fact it was her turn today.

She rushed to fill an order, putting some cured meat on a platter with bread and a ripe cheese. She handed it to Ginny and rushed to fill a tankard with ale.

How was it, that while all the other girls in fanfictions that ever fell into Middle Earth got to run around with the Fellowship and fall in love with Legolas, she was stuck in Middle Earth doing _work_? She picked another bowl from the cupboard and filled it with soup, cursing as it splashed down her apron.

"Dammit," she sighed, as she dabbed the hot liquid off her front with a towel.

Lola poked her head in. "Anything else?"

"You bet there is," Julia grumbled, "Pick that bowl off the counter, and take it to the table second from the left."

As Lola disappeared, she turned to find someone else shouting for more ale. She grimaced.

"Tankards times three…" She mumbled to herself. She found it helped to organise her thoughts if she said them aloud. "Ale times three."

She heard Barliman call for more soup, and she noted that down on her mental list: "Soup times one." The soup was proving popular. She noted that down too, to tell Butterbur later.

She saw Nob standing in the doorway.

"Nob, come give me a hand and fill a bowl of soup," She ordered the hobbit, filling the last tankard. "Where the _heck_ are Ginny and Lola?"

As if on cue, Ginny appeared, ready for another order. Julia shoved the ales into her arms and turned to see Nob dropping the bowl, half-filled with soup.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" Julia cried. Then a shout came over from the left.

"Hi! Nob! Where are you, you woolly-footed slowcoach? Nob!"

Nob went running, and Julia bent down to wipe up the mess. She finished, and looked up to see Lola standing at the door, gaping at something. Julia looked over to where she was looking, and gasped.

There were four hobbits standing in front of Butterbur.

…

**A/N: The first part of the chapter isn't great, but I think the second part turned out ok. I'm really worried I haven't reached the standard, and I'm not sure what's wrong… hopefully the next chapter will be better. Sorry!**

**Now, I really, really think you should review. Like seriously. It prolongs your life and does wonders for your complexion.**

**If you review, I'll give you internet bacon! (Bacon is like, the best food ever. Apart from fudge. Cheese is pretty good, too.)**

**Pippin thinks you should review, too!**

**Pippin: Help! Help me! She's holding me hostage in her closet and feeding me nothing but potato chips—**

**Shut up, Pip. (Just ignore him). **

**One more thing: I'm just wondering, who is your favourite character: Julia, Lola, Ginny or Tran? Yes, it will affect the story- I don't just ****_want_**** to know, it will change the plotline a bit. Review and say!**

**That's the fourth time I've told you to review.**

**Wow. **

**I think you should do it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed (Esp. you, Ginny. You totally bombarded the review page. Completely and totally. If anyone's wondering, Ginny is my friend who Ginny's character is based on. She is very biased. BTW I am sorry SamwiseKenobi, I spelt it SamwiseKenoli, I think I meant Kenobi but it was a typo. Whoops.) Internet bacon (and cookies, the food type, not the small tracker files.) to ya'll! I'm not feeling 100% about this chapter, but hopefully it will be okay.**

**And Ginny, here's a fish. -**

…..

[29th September, T.A. 3018]

"The hobbits," Lola breathed.

They didn't look much like the actors in the movie. There was a touch of Elijah Wood still in Frodo's face, and same with the others and their respective actors. But they were mostly quite different looking- and Lola, an avid Tolkien fan, was having trouble figuring it out. She knew Pippin was the one with golden-brown hair, but that was about it.

Ginny walked in from delivering the ales. "What are you two looking at?"

"The hobbits," Julia told her, watching Butterbur cheerily leading them away.

Ginny looked incredulous. "Really?"

"Yeah," Lola grinned, turning around, "Pretty cool, huh? We'll get to serve them later, I'll imagine."

Ginny looked suddenly excited. "Guys, this is our ticket to Rivendell!"

"What do you mean?" Julia frowned.

"Well, Aragorn and the hobbits are going to Rivendell, right?" Ginny explained, "Aragorn is a skilled ranger- and if we go with them, we will get to Rivendell safely, and we'll have access to Elrond!"

"What are we going to tell them?" Julia asked.

"The truth," Ginny said simply, "That we need to speak to Lord Elrond, but we cannot go on our own, for we don't know the way, and we can't fend for ourselves,"

"He won't let us go with him," Lola said.

"If he doesn't, we'll threaten to follow him," Ginny laughed.

"What if he still doesn't let us?" Julia asked.

"We carry out the threat," Ginny folded her arms, "We follow him."

…..

"Take this," Julia told Lola, passing her a tankard, "Hobbit, the fatter of the three,"

"Sam, probably," Lola noted.

"There's only three of them now," Julia was slightly confused.

"Merry's gone for a walk," Lola explained, "He meets a black rider,"

Lola approached Sam cautiously. Should she say something?

"Hello sir," She was now standing in front of him, trying her best to make her New Zealand accent sound Bree-ish "I haven't seen you around before. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Sam Gamgee," Sam answered.

"Well, here you go, Mr Gamgee," Lola passed him the ale, "So, you're from the Shire. What brings you to Bree?"

Sam opened his mouth to make up an excuse, but Julia shouting from the kitchen, "Lola, you slacker!" cut him off.

"Stop wasting time! I need help here!"

"I'm terribly sorry," Lola apologized, "I must go now. Nice meeting you, Mr Gamgee."

"What was that for?" She hissed at Julia once she got back to the kitchen, "I was talking to Sam Gamgee!"

Julia huffed. "If Ginny's crazy plan works, you'll have plenty of time to talk to him! Now help: I need to fill four tankards, and with my other two arms I need to fill a bowl of soup!"

Lola sighed, and pulled a bowl from the cupboard. They were starting to run out.

"I'm gonna need to collect some of the empty bowls soon," She added absentmindedly.

"I've sent Ginny to do that," Julia told her, filling a tankard with ale, "Lucky the cooks made an extra pot of soup. It's quite popular."

"It's cold tonight, that's why," Lola put out her theory.

There were less and less orders for soup (and food altogether) and more and more orders for drinks coming in, though.

Lola brought out the soup, and out of the corner of her eye, saw Frodo sitting next to Aragorn in the shadowy corner.

…..

Ginny walked back into the kitchen, holding a large pile of empty bowls.

"Where do I put these?" She asked Julia.

"Put them over there," Julia motioned towards a bench.

There was a lull in orders, and she felt quite relieved she had a moment to sit and rest. Ginny put the bowls down, and sat on a wooden stool.

Lola returned too, wiping her hands on her apron. "Done." Then she turned around to see a peculiar- yet familiar sight.

Frodo was standing on a table, one hand in his pocket and addressing the Breelanders.

"Aaand here we go," Lola chuckled as cries of "A song!" rose from the crowd.

Frodo looked slightly alarmed, before beginning to sing a rather absurd song:

_"__There is an inn, a merry old inn_

_beneath an old grey hill,_

_And there they brew a beer so brown_

_That the Man in the Moon himself came down_

_one night to drink his fill."_

Ginny laughed. Clapping came from the crowd, and Frodo continued the song.

"Ha, this never happened in the movie," Julia commented. She had only ever seen the movie.

"It was in the book," Lola smiled, "I always wished it was in the movie. It would be hilarious to see Elijah Wood dancing around on a table singing that! And now here I am listening to it as it's happening."

_"__The landlord keeps a little dog_

_that is mighty fond of jokes;_

_When there's a good cheer among the guests,_

_He cocks an ear at all the jests_

_and laughs until he chokes."_

More cheering and laughing. Frodo seemed to be starting to enjoy himself, as they started clapping in time.

Ginny began clapping to the beat too. "I wish bars were this fun on Earth!"

The song went on, beginning to get faster and merrier.

_"__The round Moon rolled behind the hill_

_as the Sun raised up her head._

_She hardly believed her fiery eyes;_

_For though it was day, to her surprise_

_They all went back to bed!"_

The whole event ended with a rousing round of applause, and Julia was called for, for another round of drinks. Ginny and Lola went out to deliver them, and soon the song was being sung again.

Frodo _was_ definitely enjoying himself this time, as he stamped his feet and jumped around. The Breelanders were having a right old time too.

"He's gonna fall," Lola told the other two, "And they're all going to get a big shock."

"When can we talk to Aragorn?" Ginny asked.

Lola wracked her brains. "In the morning. That's our only chance. We have to be up early: maybe as early as five o'clock in the morning."

"But what are we—" Julia began, but was cut off by a gasp coming from the crowd.

The three turned around to see the Breelanders staring at the floor, mystified and scared.

"And, there he goes," Lola sighed, "Whelp, there's the end of the party."

…..

Back in their room, the three women discussed their plans.

"What are we going to say?" Julia asked.

"We'll tell him that we need to get to Rivendell, but cannot do it on our own, and would he be so kind to let us travel with him?" Ginny clambered under her blankets.

"That sounds simple," Julia shrugged.

"It won't be," Lola warned, "He will consider the fact we can't find out about the ring, and that it will dangerous for us on that road, being hunted by Black Riders."

"Yes, but it will be more dangerous for us if we go alone," Ginny contradicted, "He won't want to let us go alone. If he does say no, he will tell us to stay in Bree. But we have to get to Rivendell. We'll threaten to go alone- and he will feel responsible for our deaths if we are attacked on the road."

"True," Lola agreed.

"So, are we actually going to go and get killed on the road if he doesn't let us come? What's the point in that?" Julia asked nervously.

"No," Ginny snorted, "But we'll follow them."

"Aragorn's strong," Lola argued, "He'll literally bring us back."

"He can't carry three of us at once," Ginny told her, "And it will cause delays for he and the hobbits."

"Wow, you've really thought of everything, haven't you?" Lola said admiringly.

"Guys, we should be going to sleep," Julia reminded them.

"True," Lola said, "We have an early start,"

…..

[30th September, T.A. 3018]

Lola's eyes fluttered open. The light was clear behind the curtains, and Julia and Ginny were still asleep.

Her first thought was: _God, I'm tired._

Her second thought was: _Wait. We've overslept._

She leapt to her feet and shook Ginny awake. "We've overslept! Get dressed, hurry up!" Then she did the same with Julia.

"Shut up! What's the hurry?" Julia groaned.

"We have to catch Aragorn: we might've missed him!" Lola cried.

Ginny's eyes were wide. "Dammit!"

They dressed as fast as they could, before racing down the stairs.

Barliman Butterbur was just walking out of the kitchen when the three women raced past.

"Butterbur!" Lola stopped in her tracks, "Butterbur, where are Strider and hobbits?"

Butterbur looked baffled. "Why? How do you know about—"

"No time to explain," She panted, "We need to get to them. Have they gone?"

"No," Butterbur said, "I was just getting them some more supplies: They're just outside with the pony and… what's the hurry?"

But they were already gone.

As Butterbur had said, they were outside, all of them carrying packs and a dispirited looking pony beside them. Aragorn was there also, talking to Frodo in a hushed voice. All five of them looked up as they approached.

"Hello?" Aragorn frowned, evidently a little annoyed.

"Ara- Strider," Lola stumbled over the names, "Could we possibly have a word with you, in private?"

Aragorn narrowed his eyes. "Alright," He said grudgingly.

They moved a little away from the four hobbits.

"My name is Ginny. This is Lola, and Julia. We have a favour to ask of you. You see, Strider, we know you're going to Rivendell," Ginny said calmly.

Aragorn looked astonished. "How do you know?"

"You wouldn't believe us, even if we told you," Lola piped up, "And besides, that's not what we're asking you,"

"Strider," Ginny addressed him, "We need to get to Rivendell. We must speak to Lord Elrond. However, we do not know the way, and we could not fend for ourselves even if we did- and after those Black Riders came last night, we fear to go alone. But we know you are heading there- perhaps you would be so kind to take us?"

"I want to know," Aragorn looked over them one by one, "How you know."

"You would not believe us,"

"Tell me, nonetheless." Said Aragorn.

Ginny sighed. "We are not from Middle Earth. We are not even from Arda. We come from a world, in which your world does not exist, except in the fictional writings of a man named J.R.R. Tolkien. We know the fate of this world."

Aragorn was silent.

"See, you don't believe us," Lola sighed, "I told you."

"Your accents are foreign," Aragorn said suddenly, "Unlike anything I have heard before. Nevertheless, it is an absurd story, and I have inclinations not to believe you."

Ginny looked him in the eye and said calmly, "Take us with you anyway. We only wish to seek out Lord Elrond, and if we do not travel with you, we shall follow you. Aragorn, as heir of Isildur, and a mighty man, do you not feel your duty is to guide three helpless maidens where they must get?"

Aragorn looked both surprised and angry when he heard her speak of his lineage.

"Whelp, you just put your foot in it, Ginny," Lola sighed.

"Where have you heard that?" Aragorn hissed furiously, "Have there been rumours?"

"No rumours," Ginny said, still calm- but Lola could see her hands were shaking, "Just what we know from these fictional writings."

"How do I know you do not lie?" Aragorn asked.

Ginny could see he was liking them less and less by the second. This wasn't good.

"Tell me something you could not possibly know," Aragorn paused, "Tell me whom I love,"

"Arwen Undomiel, Evenstar, Lord Elrond's daughter," Lola blurted.

Aragorn spun around to face her. He could not form words: simply stared.

"Do you believe us now?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"I am more inclined to," said Aragorn, "But I still find it queer."

"Will you take us?" Julia asked eagerly.

Aragorn seemed to think for a moment. "What will you do if I was to refuse?"

"Follow you," Ginny told him, "Follow you, or go alone and come to whatever fate. We must see Lord Elrond."

Aragorn seemed to weigh it up. He would not be able to bear his conscience if they found death on the road…

"You must travel light," He said gruffly, beginning to walk away, "Be ready in five minutes."

"Thank you so much!" Ginny gushed as he walked away.

"You really are getting good at that old English way of addressing people," Lola grinned.

"Wait, we have to tell Butterbur!" Julia reminded them.

…..

After a sad farewell to Butterbur, they set off along the main road. All three of them wore heavy packs on their shoulders containing food and their pyjamas.

The Breelanders stared as they walked past, and Lola felt uncomfortable under their eyes.

Aragorn spoke to the hobbits. "These women will be travelling with us to Rivendell."

"What are their names?" Pippin asked.

"Ginny, Lola and Julia," Aragorn pointed to each in turn.

As he turned away, Lola could hear Frodo ask quietly, "Do they know about the…?"

"I did not say, but they know," Aragorn replied. Frodo turned around and gave them a wary glance.

…..

**A/N: Aaaaand it begins! Let me know what you think!**

**Aaaaaand fish! -**

**Anyway, reviewing would be nice.** **Press the review button. It needs a tickle. :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Ginny… what are we up to now, thirteen? Whoa. Thankyou for enlightening us with your account on our debate about cliché. (Go and read Ginny's reviews after the chapter- quite amusing, and some –frankly- scary).**

**A quick notice: I'm going on holiday for 11 days, starting tomorrow, so this will be the last chapter for a while. However, I will be writing while I'm away, so as soon as I get back I will have another chapter ready!**

**Now, some people have been wondering where Tran is, and I'm afraid we're still a while off him yet… but he appears in this chapter, in flashback form.**

**The flashback sequence is based on a (traumatising) experience my friends and me had in the gully behind my house… **

**Warning: a bit of swearing in this chapter, but the worst is *ed out…**

…..

[12th October 2013]

_Flashback._

Thirteen-year-old Lola Evans walked alongside her three best friends.

"So, are we swapping shoes or what?" One of them, Julia Peters, asked.

The foursome was tramping around in the gully behind Lola's house. The grass was long and wild, covered with a foamy substance that looked like spit (but was probably some sort of insect). A great amount of prickly gorse dominated the space- and that was their target today.

"Yeah, well, we'll get past the gorse thing first," Lola told her, then addressed all three of them, saying: "Ok, so guys, we have to crawl on our stomachs through the grass,"

This was greeted with a huge amount of protest.

"But then there's the spit stuff all over it! Are we putting the towel down?" Julia asked. They had packed a few supplies for the road: a towel for putting down, so that the prickles didn't come through when they crawled through the gorse, some scissors for cutting back gorse, and some chocolate for sustenance.

"Yeah, we'll put the towel down," Lola agreed.

"Aw, seriously?" Ginny Elton protested.

"I don't want to get this dirty," Tran Tongskill gestured towards his shirt.

"It's ok, coz we have a towel," Lola told him. "That we'll put down. On the grass."

"Oh, I think I might…" Tran trailed off.

"Do we have to go this way?" Ginny asked.

"Just take it off!" Julia told Tran.

"Um, I dunno if there's another way," Lola said, thinking.

"There is another way- I swear there is!" Ginny said desperately.

"Ok, ok, I'll have a look. I dunno. There probably is," Lola began to walk. The rest of them followed, tramping through the long grass and stepping carefully on the uneven ground.

"Yes! I'm Gimli! Now I can complain all the time," Julia said happily. The four had made up a joke: Whoever was first in the line was Legolas, second was Aragorn, third was Gimli, and fourth was Gandalf.

"Ah, I lost my staff," Tran said sadly.

"Here's another one," Lola picked a stick from a plant and handed it to him.

"Ooh, nice one," Ginny praised her.

"That's pretty gorgeous," Julia grinned.

"Julia needs an axe," Lola reasoned, "And I need a bow. And Ginny needs, like, a sword,"

"I need a bow now, nah-nah!" Ginny said cheerily, turning another way.

"No you don't," Lola giggled, "Because I'm over here going the right way."

"Oh." Ginny said.

"And you're over there, being like, Gandalf," Lola finished, pushing past the gorse bush in her way.

"Nooo! I don't wanna be Gandalf!" Ginny cried, running back towards the group.

"Don't touch this stuff, coz it's like, poisonous," Lola advised, gesturing towards a fluffy looking green plant.

"No it's not," Ginny said awkwardly.

"That's not poisonous. That's fennel. My dad has it in the garden. _We eat it_." Julia laughed.

"Really? It gives me a rash," Lola shrugged, feeling a little sheepish.

"Yeah, you're probably just allergic to it," Ginny said logically.

"Yeah… we put it on our pasta," Julia added.

"Ohmygod there's a dead bug," Tran pointed to a spot on the ground.

"Lovely," Ginny peered at it.

"That's not lovely at _all_!" Tran folded his arms.

"Can you not hear the sarcastic ness?" Ginny said with an 'are you serious?' look on her face.

…..

The four were sitting at the bottom of a hill, eating chocolate.

Tran began to run up the slope away from the other three.

"Tran! You don't know the way!" Lola cried, running after him.

Ginny and Julia looked at each other and shrugged.

"Tran, Ginny has a weapon, you should probably stay with her," Lola yelled up to him. Ginny had found a stick on the way, and had been sharpening it with the scissors. "You probably shouldn't go that way. There's probably like, a rabid tiger or somethin' up there. Or like, Gollum or something. I dunno."

Tran abruptly came back down again.

"What way are we gonna go?" Julia asked.

"Probably that way," Lola pointed vaguely to a patch of gorse.

"No, let's not go that way, it's got heaps of gorse in it," Julia reasoned.

They started to climb anyway. The slope was quite vertical, so they clung onto clumps of grass to heave themselves up. They were halfway up, when Lola suddenly said: "Is there even a path there?"

The others were too tired to say anything. They were nearly up; when Julia took her first look at the path they were to go down.

"Ginny, let's turn back!" She called down to her ginger friend.

Lola had gotten up already. "No, I think I found the way—wait, no I didn't, never mind," Tran joined her at the top.

Lola looked more closely, "I think I found a path!" She began to walk towards it, and Tran followed her.

The path was a narrow trail through the gorse, with a couple of gorse branches acting as gates across the start- and a spider web stretched from one to the other.

"A path? By that you mean, oh, lots and lots of gorse!" Julia cried from below.

"Ow there's gorse!" Tran whimpered as he got pricked. "There's gorse in here!"

"Ginny, come!" Lola called- Ginny had the bag with the scissors in it. "We need gor—we need gorse?" She had accidentally said gorse instead of scissors.

Tran laughed. "We need gorse!"

"Yeah, totally!" Lola burst out laughing.

Julia finally joined them. "Oh look, there's a path!"

"Naaah!" Tran cried sarcastically.

"Maybe I should just smash the spider web with like, my arm, and be epic," Lola shrugged.

"Where?" Tran asked. Lola pointed to it, and he began hitting it with his 'staff'.

"Ohhh, wow there's still a spider on it," Lola pointed out.

Tran sprang back. "Oh god!"

"Ginny, we're going down the path if you don't hurry up," Lola called out to her.

"Hold up," Ginny said.

"I'll go through first, so if someone's gonna get murdered I'll get murdered," Julia said, stepping forward towards the 'gate'.

"Aw, that's very selfless of you," Lola told her.

"No, I…" Julia protested, "Oh. That's a good thing isn't it?"

"Yeah," Lola laughed.

"There's a spider on my jersey!" A cry came from Ginny down below.

"Oh god," Tran sighed.

Julia sprang back from the gate, "Ok, Lola, you can go first,"

From somewhere out in the gully came a laugh from Ginny. "It's ok Lola, you can be selfless for us,"

While they waited for Ginny, Lola managed to get through the 'gate'. She turned to Tran.

"Don't worry, it's not going to kill you Tran, it's ok," She told him.

"It's like, really sharp here," Tran said as he began to squeeze through. "I think something went into my skin."

"Ginny!" Lola called.

"I just dropped it!" Ginny said- meaning, of course, the bag.

"Aw, are you serious?" Lola groaned.

"Where?" Julia asked.

"It rolled back down the slope…" Ginny managed to say, in hysterical fits of laughter.

Meanwhile, Tran was almost through the gorse.

"Ow!" He cried, "Ow ow!"

"Tran—" Lola began.

"OW IT'S SO SHARP! OW, IT'S SO F***ING SHARP!" Tran screeched as he jumped through.

Then it was Julia's turn.

"We sorta need the bag you know, there's quite a lot of… freaking gorse," Julia began to edge her way through, but stopped.

"How do we… get rid of it… Lola it's pricking me!" She squealed, "Tran, _hold it back for me_!"

"I don't want to get pricked—" Tran started to protest.

"Ok, just move out of the way!" Lola cried, "You're such a wimp, Tran!" She then proceeded to hold back the gorse for Julia.

"There we go," She said. "It really really hurts but I don't mind!"

"Coz you're my friend! That's what friends are for, holding the gorse back!" Julia said cheerfully.

"Yeah! Ow, ow, ow, crap, crap, crap!" Lola winced.

"Go go go go GO!" Julia cried, and she was through!

Then all three of them turned towards where Ginny should've been coming up.

"Ginny!" They shouted, "Ginny!" before Julia collapsed into laughter at the dumbness of the situation.

It was a long wait- but Ginny eventually found her way up.

"I'm very proud of my stick—it got me that bag back… aw no, gorse! I hate this," Ginny sighed.

"Lola, hold it back. She did it for me- she's my friend," Julia said.

"No, it doesn't end- I hate this," Ginny repeated.

"No, it's ok," Lola protested.

"I'll go back the other way," Ginny decided.

"What…?" Lola frowned.

"Ginny! Please?" Tran said hopefully.

"I'm claustrophobic," Ginny sighed.

"Lola held it back for me, she can hold it back for you," Julia said firmly.

"Yeah I know, I have my stick for it," Ginny showed them her stick (which was becoming quite sharp) "I just don't want to…"

"Please Ginny?" Julia put on her best puppy eyes.

"Well… we're getting out of it really quickly?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, we're gonna be quick- we're not gonna just stand in the gorse getting pricked," Lola grinned.

Ginny sighed. "Ok…"

"Great!" Julia smiled, "Let's go!"

The foursome disappeared into the gorse- even Ginny.

They would stick by each other through anything.

_End Flashback._

…..

[30th September, T.A. 3018]

"How long have we been walking?" Julia grumbled, shifting her pack on her shoulders and wishing it wasn't so heavy.

"Hell, I dunno, twenty minutes?" Lola turned to look at her, "And we have a good while to go yet!"

Aragorn and the hobbits were walking ahead, while the three women staggered a few metres behind. They hadn't yet moved from the path that could only be described as a dirt trail.

Ginny watched a few plants, green with soft leaves, as they walked past. A grin spread across her face.

"Don't touch those, Lola," She sniggered, "They're poisonous,"

Lola stared at her blankly for a few seconds, before giving Ginny her most evil glare.

"Are you ever going to let her hear the end of that?" Julia asked.

Ginny shook her head, still laughing.

Aragorn turned to face them. "We're entering Archet, and then travelling through Chetwood."

"I don't even remember that part from the book," Lola frowned, "Oh well."

They soon entered a township, known as Archet- a part of Bree. The roads turned back from dirt to stone, and it began to get hard on the women's feet—they had no shoes.

"Ow," Julia winced as she picked a pebble that had lodged itself in the sole of her foot.

The three found that walking became a monotonous exercise. They were running out of things to talk about.

"If you could have one superpower, what would you have?" Lola asked, thinking it would spark some conversation.

"Hmmm… I dunno," Julia shrugged.

"I would want to read people's minds," Lola said.

"You know, I wouldn't like that," Julia frowned.

"If you could like, control it, turn it on and off, you know, tune out and in like a radio," Lola shrugged.

"I would like to have the ability to turn into a wolf," Ginny said, kicking a stone.

"A werewolf?" Lola asked.

"No, not a _werewolf_, because that's got heaps of bad rep. But a kind of that, just turning into an actual wolf," Ginny explained.

"I know, I'd like to be able to fly," Julia decided.

They got to the edge of Archet and the start of Chetwood. The wood seemed pleasant enough, it was nicely coloured in golds and reds and browns and greens.

"How long will we be walking in there?" Julia asked.

"Probably days," Lola shrugged, "It looks quite large,"

"Oh god," Julia groaned.

"Just wait till we get to the midgewater marshes," Lola grinned evilly, "That'll be like, 10 times worse then that time in the gully."

Julia looked at her. "What are the midgewater marshes?"

Lola spent the next ten minutes explaining the marshes, and watching the look on Julia's face become more and more horrified.

When she finally finished, Julia turned to her and said: "I want to go home,"

…..

A/N: Yes, I am ashamed to say: the fennel thing actually happened. :/

**It's not my fault I'm not an expert on plants! How was I supposed to know?! It gives me a rash!**

***Sniffs* Anyway, review, please! Give me feedback! (But don't try fishing… it doesn't work. Ginny's still trying)**

**I could go like this… - fish!**

**Doesn't have the same effect… :(**

**Anyway, please review! I'll give you internet bacon. And fudge. And cookies. And cheese. (With a stash like that, you don't need fish! :D)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello everyone! (Or, as Ginny would say, Hillo- the combination of the words hi and hello, pronounced hi-low.)**

**I found out I could get wi-fi on holiday, so I can get this chapter to you! It has a lot more of Aragorn and the hobbits in it, but it's a bit of a walking chapter (it's mostly them walking. All the time.)**

**Brightpath2: Coolio! But there's one problem: do you have a deviantart or something similar? I don't have any specifications really, just has to include the four characters, I guess. You know what they look like, right? Ginny the ginger, Lola and Julia the brunettes, and Tran having black hair (and glasses)? **

**Anyway. On with the chapter!**

…..

[30th September, T.A. 3018]

"Whelp, I really hate Chetwood just now," Lola grimaced, "I'm stepping on stones, and sticks—and that thing just _poked me in the ass_…"

Aragorn turned to look at her. "Do you not have any shoes?" He asked.

"No," She scowled.

"Why not?" Aragorn asked, looking a little annoyed.

"Why aren't you telling the hobbits off?" Lola spat, "It's not like we have enough money for luxuries such as footwear, seeing as our current balance is zero dollars."

Aragorn shut up. The walking continued, and shadows began to creep across the ground. The light was dimming.

"We camp here for the night," Aragorn announced, dumping his pack on the ground. They stood in a small clearing just off the path. The grass was damp, and Julia wrinkled up her nose at the thought of sleeping on it.

…..

[31st September, T.A. 3018]

"Aaand that's officially the worst sleep I've ever had," Julia grumbled as she woke up.

Ginny, Aragorn and the hobbits were still asleep, but Lola was sitting on her blanket, looking a little bit troubled.

"What's the matter?" Julia asked, sitting up.

"Guess what I found in my underwear this morning?" Lola said with mock cheerfulness.

"What?" Julia frowned.

"Blood!" Lola threw her hands up in the air, "What is a woman meant to do when she gets her period when she's camping out in the middle of nowhere, and the only people who could maybe help are five guys?"

"Oi! You're forgetting about Ginny and me," Julia protested, "But yeah, that is an issue."

"I thought about just stuffing toilet paper in my underwear, but whelp, we don't have any," Lola sniffed.

Julia giggled, "What about leaves?"

Lola stared at her, a look of pure horror spreading across her face. "No!"

"Well, what else are you going to do?" Julia shrugged, "It's that, or completely wreck your only two pairs of underwear,"

Lola sat motionless for a moment, before haughtily getting to her feet.

"If the hobbits or Aragorn ask where I am, tell them I'm going to the bathroom," She said, before storming off.

Julia tried her best not to laugh. Merry began to stir, and then woke.

"What's so funny?" He asked. Julia just shook her head.

Lola soon returned, looking furious, and clutching a bunch of leaves.

"What are you doing with those leaves?" Merry queried.

Lola looked startled, and then replied, "Academic purposes," She didn't seem angry- she probably would've been if it were Aragorn, but she loved the hobbits to pieces and could never seem to get mad with them.

…..

They finally exited Chetwood, and the land became flat countryside, which was easier to walk on. The women's ever growing boredom began to nag them.

"We could play eye spy," Lola shrugged.

"No, that has to be the most boring game known to man," Julia sighed.

"Word association!" Ginny cried excitedly.

"Ok! Potato," Julia began.

"Sam," Lola said instantly.

"Frodo," Ginny said.

"Insomnia," Julia grinned.

"Ok, this is boring now," Lola flicked her hair out of her face.

"What is boring?" Pippin fell into stride with them.

"This game we're playing," Lola replied, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair. She loved hobbits: she always had, and she was amazed now to be in the company of four of them

His eyes lit up. "What is the game? I love games!"

"Word association," Ginny butted in, "Someone says a word, and another person says the first word that comes into their mind, and then the next, and so on,"

"Can I play?" Pippin asked, eyes wide and eager.

"Sure," Lola said excitedly. Ginny chuckled: it seemed the game was no longer deemed 'boring', as it had been ten seconds ago. Not now that Pippin had joined in.

"Painting," Julia started.

"Bowl," Lola answered immediately.

Ginny burst out laughing. "Um…" Several things sprang to mind, but she knew Pippin would not understand any of them. "Eggs!"

"Bacon," Pippin grinned, enjoying the game.

"Pigs," Julia said, and Merry turned around.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

Ginny had to explain the game to him, too.

He shook his head, smiling, then looked up at them and asked, "May I join?"

"Of course!" Lola grinned, looking completely ecstatic.

So Julia began again. "Chickens."

"Tentacles," Lola stated calmly, and Ginny began to laugh again.

"Squid," She said through her giggles.

Pippin looked confused. "What is a 'squid'?"

Ginny sighed, not wanting to explain it to him. "Never mind. I'll say something—"

"Please tell me!" Pippin begged.

So Ginny spent the next two minutes explaining squid to Pippin, which considerably delayed the game.

The ground was beginning to get a little boggy. Lola turned to Ginny, "Are you done explaining?"

Ginny nodded. "Yep."

"Ok," Pippin furrowed his brows, "Confusing."

Merry laughed. "Brandy Hall,"

Lola smiled. She guessed that made sense. Brandy Hall was probably confusing even for Merry, who had grown up in the place. Her vision of Brandy Hall had always been hectic, with lots of tunnels and passages turning everywhere.

"That was two words, you cheated!" Pippin cried accusingly.

"And that was six words!" Merry retorted.

Meanwhile, Julia carried on. "Alcohol,"

"Fish," Lola decided.

"Happiness," Ginny said, before yelping in surprise as she stood in a hole filled with murky water.

"Whelp, we've found the marshes," Lola sighed. "Let's enjoy this moment of peace and tranquillity before all hell breaks loose."

…..

The marshes were the most hellish place Julia had ever set foot on.

The hem of her dress was covered with mud and gloop and slime, and it slapped against her legs with an unpleasant wet slurpy sucking sound.

Meanwhile of course, there were the flies. They got everywhere, in her hair, up her dress… and they were the most irritating little buggers imaginable.

And overall- it stank.

Ginny seemed the only one who could be optimistic about the situation.

"I'm Legolas!" She said cheerily.

"Dammit, I'm Gimli," Julia sighed, tripping and almost falling into the bog.

"I'm Aragorn!" Lola whooped (half-heartedly). Aragorn turned around and looked at her funny.

Pippin stumbled a little and fell flat on his face. Julia helped him up gently. He looked as if he was about to cry, but held the tears in.

…..

That night they camped in the marshes, on a partially dry piece of ground they discovered. The site was, however, inhabited by insects that cried neek-breek, breek-neek incessantly.

"Ah, I forgot about the Neekerbeekers," Lola grimaced; referring to the name Sam had given them in the book.

It was a long night. Ginny swore she didn't sleep at all, but all of them got at least an hour or so before they awoke in the morning and were off again.

…..

"How many days is it now?" Julia groaned as they tramped. She had lost count.

"The fifth," Lola informed her. "Hopefully the last."

Meanwhile, Ginny walked further ahead, in front of both her friends and the hobbits. Aragorn began to walk beside her.

"How long have we got to go?" She asked him.

"Not long," He told her, "May I ask you something?"

"Sure," Ginny said.

"Why must you see Lord Elrond?"

"To find out why we are here," She yanked her dress out of the mud and tested a boggy piece of ground, "What brought us to Middle Earth,"

"Do you really know the fate of this world?" He asked curiously.

Ginny grimaced. "Yes. But I should not tell you."

"The ground is becoming less muddy," Sam looked up, "Will it end soon?"

"Yes," Aragorn told him, "It will end. And not a moment too late- I fear we all need a break from this place."

…..

Soon the marshes ended and the ground became rougher. Hills sprang up in the distance as they walked.

"Do you ever wonder about Tran?" Lola said suddenly.

Ginny turned to her. "Sometimes," She mused.

"What, do you mean, is he here?" Julia frowned. "He went missing, five years ago, remember?"

"I heard about that," Lola said, "Maybe he disappeared here,"

"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed, "He vanished without a trace- and ended up here,"

"Middle Earth is a big place," Lola warned, "If he did, he could've landed somewhere isolated and starved to death. We were very lucky to land in Bree,"

"I wish he was here," Julia sighed, "Tran was cool,"

Sam turned around. "Who's Tran?"

"Our friend from our world," Ginny explained, "He went missing five years ago."

"Where did he go?" Sam asked.

"We don't know," Ginny said, "We think he might've ended up here."

"Here, as in, Middle Earth?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah," Julia piped up, "The police could find no trace of where he had gone."

"What are police?" Sam queried.

Ginny began explaining police to Sam, and Tran was mostly forgotten for a while.

…..

That night they camped near a stream under some trees. Aragorn sat on watch, but the others slept peacefully.

Lola was restless. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw home, and she didn't want to remember. So she didn't close them, and instead stood and made her way to the edge of the camp.

Aragorn looked up. "Where do you go?"

"Just to sit over here in isolation," She replied, "I cannot sleep."

"Very well," He sighed, and turned back to the night.

She sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, alone with her thoughts. The darkness ran it's long, spidery fingers up and down her bare arms, but she was not frightened- almost comforted. Lola liked to be alone.

She felt a body move to sit beside her.

"Why do you sit here alone in the cold?" Frodo asked, hugging himself for warmth.

"I can't sleep," Lola explained, "I like to be alone sometimes."

She had hoped Frodo would take the hint and leave, but he didn't. Instead, he said: "You tell me you know the fate of the world,"

"Yes," Lola said tentatively, wondering where this was going.

"You know my fate?"

Lola looked at him. His face was grim in the dim light.

"Yes," She cautiously said.

"Every day I worry for my life," Frodo looked at her, "Every day I fear my death. But if you would tell me… all my worries would be gone,"

Lola gulped. "I could not do that, Frodo."

Frodo looked distraught. "Please Lola! What will become of me?"

"I cannot tell you."

"Why ever not?" Frodo's face grew angry.

"It will disrupt the course of destiny," Lola told him, becoming a little frightened of his darkening eyes.

"Tell me!" He demanded, rising from his seat to his full height.

"Don't treat me like a fortune teller!" Lola stood up as well, dwarfing him, "I cannot tell you! Why will you not accept that?"

Frodo stared at her stonily, seeming a little bit scared of how she loomed over him.

She continued, "I cannot help you like that, Frodo."

"It will help!" Frodo blurted.

"How?" Lola asked.

"It will ease the pain, whether I am to live or die, it will be a comfort to know."

Lola almost felt sorry for him.

"I'm sorry Frodo," She whispered, "Nothing can ease the pain."

Frodo looked at her carefully.

In the gloom she could see his eyes become wet, welling with tears, but he blinked them away.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but he was gone.

She sighed, feeling a bit bad, but she couldn't possibly tell him.

As she walked back to her 'bed', she could see Aragorn looking at her, but she could not see his expression in the dark.

…..

**A/N: Yay for word association! **

**Hopefully the chapter wasn't too boring. :/**

**Anyway, review! Internet bacon and fudge are up for grabs (and Pippin's freedom.)**

**Pippin: HELLLLPPPPP!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey ho! Still on holiday, but I got wifi again! Just some clarifications: 'Whelp' is just something Lola says to express sarcasm, it doesn't stand for anything or mean anything. Also, I apologize profusely to the person who no longer likes the characters: Lola ****_would_**** be acting differently with her period, and I think it was just a boring chapter which I tried to make more interesting, and as a result the characters were slightly altered.**

**To Brightpath2: I couldn't look at your deviantart when I saw the review, but I will as soon as I post this up. :D Eye colours: Lola has dark brown, Ginny has grey-blue, Tran has really dark brown and Julia has hazel. Heights: Not entire sure exactly, but Tran's the tallest (as an adult, by as a child he's one of the shortest) Ginny's next, followed by Lola, and then Julia. Ginny Tran stands at about a metre eighty, if that helps. Update: The link didn't work, sorry, I couldn't access it- perhaps you could just give me your deviantart name. :)**

**We've reached 50 reviews! Yay! Thanks ya'll so much! Internet bacon (and fudge) to all! :3 **

…..

[6th October, T.A. 3018]

Lola thought about what had happened last night as they walked along the road. For the first time on the journey from Bree there was one distinguishable path.

She considered telling Julia or Ginny. Julia hadn't gone to Lola's primary school, but had been her best friend since their first year of intermediate- they did everything together, they told secrets, they confided about crushes, they mouthed off Mrs Norman behind her back. She seemed to obvious person to speak to. But Julia probably wouldn't understand the consequence of telling Frodo about his future.

Ginny had become good friends with them in their second year, but Lola had known her since she was at primary. Ginny was more likely to understand, but would just tell her to ignore it.

It was her problem. She had to deal with it.

Still, she felt she needed someone to talk to.

Turning around, she saw Frodo walking a little way behind her. He abruptly glanced at his feet when their eyes met. He would not speak to her. She didn't blame him: what would you say? She made no effort to speak to him, either.

Lola had never been especially fond of Frodo- he had never been on her favourite characters list. But she felt sorry for him. She could never in her wildest dreams imagine such a burden, a weight of responsibility and power, and the knowledge that you could just take it if you chose. It would break her, she knew this; but Frodo just kept on going. Persisting.

Persisting was one of the five keys to school success she had learnt so many years ago at intermediate. She had chuffed at them then, made fun of them even, but now she could see what use they would be to someone like Frodo.

1. Persistence. Keeping on going. Not giving up.

2. Resilience. Bouncing back when things don't go your way. Keeping perspective.

3. Confidence. Trying new things. Taking risks.

4. Getting Along. Cooperation with others, no matter how little your enjoy their company. Teamwork.

5. Organisation. Keeping tidy. Being in the right place at the right time with the right equipment.

She passed Ginny, who was speaking to Merry: "In my world, people say that gingers have no soul, but I think they're just jealous because we have more soul than anyone else…"

Julia was walking alone, puffing as she trudged along. She gave Lola a wave and a smile. Lola returned them and continued on.

Soon she fell into stride behind Aragorn. She watched him effortlessly advance down the path, not at all tired. Lola instantly felt flabby and unfit as she puffed.

Aragorn slowed down a little to walk beside her. Then he leant over and, in a low voice, said, "You did what was right last night."

That startled her a little. Aragorn did not usually speak to her.

"I feel bad," She heard herself say, "I wish I could tell him. I want to help him, Aragorn."

Aragorn's voice softened unexpectedly, "You cannot, and you must not tell anything." He hesitated, swallowing, before asking, "You keep it from him because it is a terrible fate?"

Lola stared for a moment.

"Is it good or ill?" Aragorn queried quietly.

Lola thought for a while.

Mankind as a people has only ever wished to do two things: to know everything, and to manipulate. Manipulation: alchemists who wanted to turn lead into gold, the attractiveness of the idea of being able to bend the elements; fire, water, earth, air- the desire for progress and growth and new cities and control, all the way down to salespeople manipulating others to buy things.

Then knowing: the want to understand every last cell of the world, to understand creation and life and death and love, to understand the universe and the millions of galaxies and celestial places of faraway. Science: the informing shape, the coalescence of people that drives this, propels it forward faster and faster.

Then within knowing, comes the desire to know one's fate.

Mankind has always wanted to see their future. Astrology, reading the stars, reading the lines on one's palm or the tea leaves left in the cup, humans have always wanted to know their future.

_Know_ it, and then _manipulate_ it to suit themselves.

Lola looked at Aragorn. She could see the human in his eyes, the want to know.

Under the rule of men, would Middle Earth one day come to the same fate as our world?

She blinked rapidly, before replying, "It wouldn't be wise to let you know."

Aragorn nodded and began to walk ahead again, but the question still hung like a cloud above Lola.

…..

Soon they neared the paths end, and there stood the king, dilapidated and neglected, but still beautiful as he kept a keen eye watching over his lands, complete with a stone crown visible across his furrowed brow.

"Ginny… what's that there?" Julia asked.

"That must be Weathertop," Ginny stopped and looked. "Whoa."

Weathertop still held it's air of importance it once held in days gone by, when it was strong. It was far taller then any of the three girls had imagined.

"Amon Sul," Lola whispered, out of breath, "Hill of Wind. That's Weathertop alright."

…..

Sam and Pippin, along with Bill (who had not been named just yet) stayed at the bottom in a small hollow, while Aragorn, Frodo, Merry and the three women climbed up to the top.

"Wow… this is a steep climb…" Ginny panted, "How long have we been climbing, anyway? It wasn't this long in the book, surely?"

"Even shorter in the movie," Julia wheezed.

"I don't remember it being this long," Lola frowned, "We've been climbing for about fifteen minutes. We'll reach the top soon enough."

But it was another fifteen minutes or so before they reached the summit. The view from the top, however, was spectacular. They could see all around them for miles.

"Here we are- and no shelter, no water, no Gandalf!" Merry sighed.

"How far to Rivendell, d'ya think?" Julia asked Aragorn, once she got her breath back.

"A fortnight or so," Aragorn said nonchalantly.

Frodo's eyes bugged out. "A fortnight!?"

Ginny turned to the pile of burnt stones in the centre of the hill. Aragorn turned to them too, before stooping to pick up one that seemed whiter than the others.

"This has been handled recently," He murmured, before addressing Frodo, "What do you think of these marks?"

Lola peered over Aragorn's shoulder at the stone, and saw a rune and three lines. She had, at one point in her life when she had been obsessed with Tolkien, known how to read and write in elvish (both runes and the Tengwar) but she could not recall the meaning of the rune on the stone.

"They may have been made by Gandalf," Aragorn continued, "Meaning G3: that Gandalf was here on the third of October. Though we cannot be sure it even was Gandalf: Rangers also use runes, and they come here sometimes."

"Was it Gandalf?" Julia whispered. Lola nodded.

In silence they stood atop the windy hill, staring around the land. A few gossamer clouds drifted in the sky, and the light was now dimming a little.

Suddenly Frodo gave a little cry, pointing in the distance. "Look!"

They looked. Two black specks were walking along the road, far in the distance. Aragorn fell to the ground, pulling Frodo with him. Merry and the women did the same.

"We have lingered too long," Aragorn said through gritted teeth. "I do not know what it is, but I fear the worst."

"Something tells me it is a black rider," Merry said tentatively, and he was visibly shaking.

"Yes," Aragorn sighed, "The enemy is here."

The fact he sounded so certain did not help the nerves churning in Lola's stomach.

…..

It was now dark. The company of eight sat, huddled around the fire in the hollow.

Aragorn had just finished telling the tale of Beren and Luthien, and Julia was feeling more then a little sleepy. She felt as though she was about to drop off when she heard Sam running back.

She hadn't remembered seeing him leave, but her eyes opened wide again once more as he spoke.

"I don't know what it is," He shivered, "But I suddenly feel afraid."

Lola turned to look at Julia and then Ginny with fear alight in her eyes. Julia felt it kindle inside her as well, and she turned to the opening of the hollow.

"I saw two or three black shapes," Merry told them, worried and frightened, "Moving this way."

"Stay close to the fire, with your faces outward!" Aragorn demanded, spinning around to face them, "Get some long sticks ready in your hands. Girls, sit at the back,"

Ginny began to protest, but Aragorn held up his hand.

"I would not be able to live with your deaths on my mind," He stared at each of them in turn, "This is not your business. You are but travellers. You must sit at the back."

Julia didn't hesitate. The dread was growing still, as they sat in silence. She felt Ginny grab her hand- whether it was to comfort Julia, or herself was not obvious.

"What's that?" Pippin suddenly asked.

A shadow came over the lip of the hollow, and seemed to swell until the entire vicinity seemed cloaked in blackness.

Julia's heart beat faster and faster, beating against her ribcage like a million drums, like a million galloping horses trying to break free. Transformed were the horses like a terrible metamorphosis, into what but a tsunami of fear, which drowned her entire being until she could scarcely breathe.

It was terror. It was watching a burning baby, like falling into a pit of nothing. It was the thought of the devil, transformed into something so grotesquely terrifying it was painful to behold.

It was like watching what it felt like to die.

Julia's sheltered twenty-first century life had never prepared her for this.

The same fear seemed to have taken the rest of the hobbits, but Frodo was fiddling with something in his pocket. Julia watched him.

_What is it that happens in this part_?

She saw something small and gold pass from his shirt into his clenched fist. He closed his eyes tight, but then could not bear it any more, and slipped on the ring.

Oh yes. That's what happens.

Lola was quietly sobbing with fear beside her.

"I should have warned him." She whispered. "It's too late. He's going to get stabbed and it's my fault!"

"It's not your fault," Ginny attempted to comfort her.

Time seemed to slow down. Julia watched the spot where Frodo used to sit, and then the advancing figures in the gloom. Suddenly there was a cry, and it seemed faint and distant, however the words were, as Lola knew:

"O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!"

But even as he said this, from the shadow leapt a knife, glowing with a dull light. Julia gasped. Lola let out a strangled cry.

A shriek came from the ringwraith, but not a sound came from Frodo. They saw nothing more.

…..

[5th August 2023]

Philip put his hand over Julia's. Her family had left just five minutes ago, for lunch.

She was lying in a hospital room, hooked up to all kinds of cords. It looked a pretty frightening business, and it was scary seeing her lying there, motionless. He gulped and stared at her pasty white face.

Suddenly, she began to frown harder. Philip jumped from the bed in surprise. Julia hadn't moved since he had found her still two days ago.

He watched as she frowned more, and then her mouth opened wide, as if she were screaming, her face filled with horror, but her eyes still closed.

He grew frightened. It was as if she were trapped inside a nightmare; trapped but unable to get out…

…..

[6th October, T.A. 3018]

Aragorn leapt at the ringwraiths, wielding two flaming sticks. Julia watched as he waved them around, threatening the black riders and setting their cloaks alight until every last one had fled from the hollow. Then all was silent.

Julia let out a strangled sob, fully disturbed and completely terrified by what she had just witnessed. Ginny squeezed her hand gently.

The hobbits cautiously stood up and began to tentatively step around their campsite, as if afraid that the nazgul would suddenly return.

"Look!" Merry suddenly cried, "Frodo!"

Everyone ran to where he was standing. There, sure enough, was Frodo: lying face down on the grass with his right hand clenched into a fist.

"Is he dead?" Pippin asked. Sam gave him a look as if to say, 'don't go there'.

"Lay him down by the fire," Aragorn ordered: and he and Sam picked him up and brought him gently to a soft resting place.

No one spoke. After a long while, Aragorn stood.

"I will be back," He said abruptly, before disappearing from the hollow.

Julia felt suddenly cold and vulnerable without him. The silence still loomed.

…..

Aragorn still wasn't back when Frodo woke.

"What has happened? Where is the pale king?" He demanded, staring up at them.

The three hobbits were overjoyed he had woken, and didn't answer his question, but all began babbling at once, excited.

Julia smiled a little too, but Lola still looked stony, knowing what was to happen.

"Aragorn should be back soon," Ginny stared out into the blackness.

It was another ten minutes before he did. As he walked in the hollow, Sam suddenly stood over Frodo, sword drawn. He was obviously becoming dubious of him.

"I am not a black rider, Sam," Aragorn said gently, kneeling down beside Frodo, "Nor am I in league with them. I have discovered nothing of their movements; but there is no presence of them anywhere. I cannot think to where they might have gone, and why they do not attack again."

They listened as Frodo told his story. Julia began to feel a little sheepish for feeling so scared- for what Frodo had witnessed was so much more terrifying.

When he finished Aragorn looked grave, and turned to Merry and Pippin. "Heat up all the water you can, and bathe the wound. Keep the fire going."

Then he called Sam to him, and they sat in the corner, speaking in low voices.

Meanwhile, Julia and Lola helped bathe Frodo's wound, while Ginny tended to the fire carefully. They may have been just travellers but they all felt they had to pull their weight, that they had to help. It was not their business, but they were still tied up in it.

"That was so scary," Ginny was the first of the three women to speak, "My blood just ran cold. I knew what was going to happen, but it still shocked me."

"I nearly pissed myself," Lola said shakily, "I know so much about the nazgul but never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine _that_. That… fear. That coldness. It felt like I had died, and I was witnessing it in slow motion. Like I was watching my life from above, like watching a movie that was happening to someone else."

Julia didn't speak; she was unable to put into coherent words how she had felt. She carefully poured the warm water onto Frodo's wound, trying not to remember.

"I hope we get to Rivendell soon," Ginny said warily.

"Another fortnight, Aragorn said," Lola grimaced, "And we'll have Frodo's wound to slow us down. With wraiths after us, probably.

"At least _try_ to be optimistic," Julia suddenly snapped, "We all know what danger we're in without someone spelling it out for us,"

There was silence. Lola spoke, a little angry: "I'm just being realistic, for god's sake."

"I'm sorry," Julia sighed, not wanting any conflict, "I'm just so scared, that's all. It sounds so much more real when you say it out loud."

"I'm sure we'll make it to Rivendell safely," Merry attempted to calm everyone down, "Aragorn will be able to heal Frodo's wound."

The women exchanged knowing glances.

…..

**A/N: Hope ya'll liked it! Now, I need your help concerning romance. Yes, there will be romance in the story, but it won't take over the plot. I've got some stuff in mind but I'd like to know your opinion before I begin anything. It won't be a hero/OC, because:**

**Legolas: I don't want to have an elf/mortal girl, so no.**

**Aragorn: Has Arwen, and is far too old anyway.**

**Boromir: Is twice the age of any of them.**

**Gimli: Is too short, and too old.**

**Gandalf: Too old.**

**Pippin: The right age, but too short.**

**Merry: Too old, and too short.**

**Sam: He has Rosie, and he's too old, and short.**

**Frodo: Too old, too short, and has too much on his mind for romance…**

**Yes, primarily my excuses are that they are too short and too old. :/**

**But, if you can convince me otherwise… anyway, if you have any ideas, shoot me a review!**

**Which reminds me… I think you should review. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Aloha everyone! Wrote most of this chapter while the rest of my family were going for an hour walk. I'm back on the 16****th****, so the updates will (hopefully) become consistent again. However, I'm starting high school on the 30****th**** so the updates might take longer after that, but hopefully not too much. :)**

**Anyway, a few answers to some reviews. **

**Ok, so I'm not doing 1****st**** person for this story, but as you might've noticed, I switch from the 'perspective' of my three OC's often, and in those moments you see the world and the events from their perspective, although not 1****st**** person. I hope I don't favour some OC's over others, but Lola might get more time by total accident. You see, seeing as Lola is based upon myself I know her a lot better than the others, and she is easier to write. I try my best to spread it out, though. :)**

**Also, I'm still asking for advice about the romance situation. A few people have said I should make a random OC, but who's to say the girls will get far enough into the quest to find a 'random OC'? O.o Lol, anyway, watch this space.**

**Anyway, Brightpath2, I have put together a detailed description of each of the characters for you. You might find Tran's clothes daunting, but hey…**

** Character Descriptions:**

**WARNING: The following information contains spoilers for the story. If you have no desire to read such spoilers please scroll down to where the chapter begins.**

**~Julia~**

**Nationality: English New Zealander**

**Height: 1.6 metres**

**Hair Colour: Light brown. Straight, a little wavy.**

**Hair Length: Just past shoulders. Wears in ponytail.**

**Eye Colour: Hazel**

**Attire: Plain dress, down to her ankles, coloured dusty red with a purple-y hue. Puff sleeves and dark green neckline.**

**Physical Description: Relatively slight. **

**Special Features: N/A**

**~Lola~**

**Nationality: English New Zealander**

**Height: 1.65 metres**

**Hair Colour: Dark brown. Straight.**

**Hair Length: Inch and a half past shoulders. Wears down.**

**Eye Colour: Dark brown**

**Attire: Plain dress, down to her ankles, coloured dull red. Plain sleeves and black neckline.**

**Physical Description: Slim, but not slight.**

**Special Features: A small dusting of freckles across her nose.**

**~Tran~**

**Nationality: Thai**

**Height: 1.8 metres**

**Hair Colour: Black**

**Hair Length: N/A, but it's a little bit curly.**

**Eye Colour: Dark, dark brown, almost black.**

**Attire: SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! Long sleeve shirt with wide sleeves, and leggings, on top of which is a long tunic reaching almost to his knees; and adorning his feet are sturdy leather boots. An elvish sword in its sheath on a leather belt around his waist. Tunic has split down the centre, and is closed by buttons. Down the sleeves, across the neckline of both the shirt and tunic, down the split in tunic, around the bottom of tunic and around the top of the boots are elvish designs, of which I shall not specify here as this is already the most complex costume I have designed. The entire thing is coloured in deeps reds and rusty browns. Phew! Sorry for the complexities- I have had this image in my mind for weeks now, and it just kept getting more and more detailed! You don't need to follow up with it if you don't want to. **

**Physical Description: Pale, thin, a little bit lanky. **

**Special Features: Black, wide-rimmed glasses. **

**~Ginny~**

**Nationality: English New Zealander**

**Height: 1.65 metres**

**Hair Colour: Ginger. Literally carrot orange. Wears down. Straight.**

**Hair Length: 3 inches past shoulders.**

**Eye Colour: Grey-blue**

**Attire: Plain dress, down to her ankles, coloured dark green. Black neckline, plain sleeves, and a dark purple ribbon at the waist (a plain ribbon, no bows or anything.)**

**Physical Description: Tall, slim but strong.**

**Special Features: Um… ginger? Freckles, across her nose and spilling onto her cheeks. **

…..

[11th October, T.A. 3018]

It was the end of the fifth day. They had been walking for so long, Ginny no longer noticed how much her legs hurt at the close of each day any more, but it seemed evident to her that Frodo's wound troubled him greatly.

Aragorn sat on watch, staring into the night. Ginny felt restless- a fear had taken her, paranoia even; a fear that she and the other two women were slowing them down, that they would not reach Rivendell in time.

As Frodo's wound grew steadily worse, Ginny's fears grew stronger and stronger.

…..

[23rd October 2013]

Flashback.

It was the twenty-third of October, and it was dark- 9 pm, in fact. The house cast long shadows across the wet grass.

It was Ginny's 13th birthday, and Lola Evans, Julia Peters and Tran Tongskill were hiding behind a bush, giggling quietly.

After school that day they had all gone over to Ginny's house, where they had given out presents: Lola and Julia gave her a joint 50 dollar note, while Tran gave her a whole one- she was saving up for an ipod, and they wanted to help as much as they could.

Later, they watched a movie (Pitch Perfect) and ate pizza that Ginny's mum had made. After the movie had finished, they decided to go to the local park, which had a Halloween train. All hugging each other, they got on the train and went on a long, frightening journey, in which there was much screaming. Afterwards, they had to buy some cotton candy (for the shock).

And now they were back, and it was 9 pm- and Ginny was hiding somewhere in the garden, waiting to spring out at them.

Lola wore a Bofur hat at crooked angle and a large black coat that had been leant to her by Ginny's mum. In the darkness she looked very much like a dwarf. Meanwhile Julia wore one of Ginny's warm jerseys and Tran wore her step-dad's rain jacket.

"Let's just stay behind this bush," Julia peeked out through the branches.

"Nah, we have to go eventually," Lola peered out too. "We could just jump over the fence."

There was a white picket fence at one end of the garden. The other option was to follow the trail around the house, but they all agreed that was too risky.

"I wish I was a Gryffindor!" Julia moaned. She and Lola were Hufflepuffs- though Julia swore Lola was actually a Ravenclaw. Meanwhile Ginny was Gryffindor, and Tran had never taken the online quiz. The three girls gave him Slytherin, so that all the houses were covered.

"Ok, so we'll climb over the fence," Lola declared.

They crept towards it. Grey clouds partially concealed the moon's single, lidless eye, but it still watched them as they hurried across the lawn. Lola was the first to get to the fence. She vaulted up immediately and swung her leg over.

"Oh my gawd, the dwarf coat is caught!" She cried, writhing around and trying to break free. Tran laughed and unhooked it.

Tran got over with ease, as did Julia. They crossed the driveway and came to the fence that lead to the rest of the garden.

Lola stopped in her tracks. "I'm not going first,"

"Me neither," Julia pushed Tran forward, "Tran you're the… gentleman."

"I'm not going first," Tran said, horrified, "Lola can go first!"

"I'm Bofur! I can't go first," Lola pointed to her hat, "Tran, you can be Thorin, you go first,"

"I'm not Thorin!" Tran protested.

They argued for a while. The night was no longer young, however, and they had to get through.

"How about we just all go through together?" Julia suggested.

And that is how they ended up huddled together, clutching at each other as they cautiously edged through the gate.

The gate was too narrow for all three of them to go through, and Lola was inevitably pushed forward.

Julia whimpered. The darkness closed around them as they crept, silent as they could.

"I don't think she's here," Lola breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a voice came from above. "Why hello there!"

All three of them screamed simultaneously, bustling back out the gate. Ginny clambered down the tree, laughing hysterically.

End Flashback

…..

[14th October, T.A. 3018]

"Where are we?" Ginny asked Aragorn, staring at the long bridge in front of them. It was the only way across the wide river that they had been walking alongside for a while now.

"The Last Bridge," Aragorn replied. "Take cover over there. I will check to make sure it is safe,"

The hobbits and the three women took cover in some nearby bushes. It was not long before Aragorn came back.

"There is no sign of the enemy," He concluded, "But I have found something very strange."

He opened his hand to reveal a green stone, rather muddy but still quite beautiful. "I found it in the middle of the bridge. It is a beryl, an elf-stone. It brings hope to me- it is a sign we may cross the bridge safely,"

…..

Soon after, they went on across the bridge. It was a large structure- three columns on each side supporting it, all made of stone- with stone sides running along it at hip-height.

Aragorn walked alone up front, six metres or so in front of them. Lola vaulted onto the side and nodded to Merry.

"Race you," She grinned.

Merry didn't hesitate to clamber up too. They began to walk as fast as they dared along the thin beam of stone, and below them the water ran at speeds that made Ginny's stomach turn.

"Lola, Merry, get down," She warned. They paid no heed to her.

"Get down, Lola!" She caught up to the brunette and yanked at her hand, "Get down, you'll fall."

"How old are you, seventy?" Lola laughed, "I'm just having a bit of fun- this journey is so boring," And with that, she pulled her hand away.

But she had underestimated the strength of Ginny's clutch, and she had to pull harder to get out of her snare. But there was too much force in the yank- and Lola lost her footing.

She screamed as she tumbled over the side.

"Strider!" Sam yelled, "Strider, Lola's gone over!"

"Aragorn, help!" Julia shrieked. Merry went pale and hastily jumped back onto the bridge.

Aragorn came running. "Where?"

"She went over," Ginny cried, pointing.

Aragorn looked over, expecting to see nothing but the fast flowing current and Lola's body floating in the distance- but instead he saw Lola's fingertips curled over the lip of the rock.

She screamed, "Help! I can't hold on for much longer! Can you f***ing help me!?"

Aragorn quickly grabbed both of her wrists and pulled as hard as he could. Lola wasn't light- but he was quite strong, and had a good grip. Soon she was able to climb back onto the bridge, where she collapsed.

"Oh my gawd." She said finally, before letting out a string of very creative expletives.

"What were you doing?" Aragorn demanded.

"She was walking along the side," Ginny told him.

Aragorn looked furious. "Your stupidity nearly cost you your life! I hope this experience will make you not so hasty to attempt such dangerous and idiotic feats in the future- next time you might not be so lucky!"

Lola just nodded weakly, still recovering from the shock.

Aragorn continued walking. Merry turned to Lola.

"So, does this mean I won?" He asked.

Lola simply glared.

…..

[19th October, T.A. 3018]

The fear was still growing in Ginny's mind. Surely it hadn't taken this long in the book? By how much had they slowed them down? Should she be taking some action?

But there was nothing she could do, even if they were.

They were now walking in a dark wood, along a dirt path. It had been thirteen days since the attack at Weathertop, and Ginny was beginning to think they had taken a wrong turn, although Aragorn assured them they were going the right way.

The path had been quite steep for a while, before it took a sharp turn and carried on.

As they walked, Ginny was surprised to see that in the cliff there was a door, hanging open on one hinge.

"What's that?" Julia asked.

But nobody answered, for suddenly they were standing outside the door. Aragorn, Merry and Sam managed to push the door enough for Aragorn and Merry to squeeze through.

Ginny poked her head in. The floor was littered with bones, but she could not see much else in the gloom.

"A troll-hole, if there ever was one," Pippin said matter-of-factly, "We'd better get off the path now we know who made it!"

"This troll-hole has been long forsaken, I don't think we need to be wary. But we should be cautious as we walk." Aragorn reasoned.

And that they were. The path was now quite wide, and Merry and Pippin wandered far ahead. Soon they came rushing back.

"There are trolls!" Pippin said, terrified, "We saw them through the trees. They are very large!"

"Let us have a look at them," Aragorn seemed quite calm. A grin spread across Ginny's face as she remembered the passage from the book.

Aragorn picked up a stick. Lola giggled.

The group followed the path, Aragorn leading at the front with his stick, and Merry and Pippin cowering at the back, walking alongside Frodo, who was sitting on the pony.

"Why are you smiling?" Julia asked Ginny incredulously, "There are trolls!"

"Trolls, yes; live trolls, no," Ginny explained, "They're the stone trolls from The Hobbit."

"Oh," Julia said, and laughed too.

Soon they found themselves in a green clearing, with light shining through gaps in the canopy. And there, standing in front of them, were three trolls.

Aragorn walked up to one calmly. "Get up, old stone!" He proceeded to bring his stick down on the arm of the troll. It broke in two.

The hobbits were all astonished, before they simultaneously began to laugh.

Lola walked around them, running her hands along the bottoms of their legs. "I wish I had a camera!"

"They're amazing," Ginny added, "They look so big. I didn't know they were that big."

They ate lunch- dried fruit and bread- underneath one of the trolls.

"Won't someone give us a song?" Merry asked when he was finished, "We haven't had one for days,"

"Maybe Sam has something?" Pippin looked at him. Everyone else turned to look at him too.

"Well… there is something, not proper poetry really, just something that popped into my mind," Sam stood up nice and straight, held his hands behind his back, and began.

_Troll sat alone on his seat of stone,_

_And munched and mumbled on a bare old bone;_

_For many a year he had gnawed it near,_

_For meat was hard to come by._

_Done by! Gum by! _

_In a cave in the hills he dwelt alone,_

_And meat was hard to come by._

"I sometimes feel like a tourist," Lola said quietly to her friends, "Like, just roaming Middle Earth with a tour group and seeing all the famous places, like the trolls, and hearing Sam sing that song… I really, really wish I brought a camera."

…..

They soon moved on from the trolls and continued through the wood. Evening began to loom, and they began to search for a spot to camp for the night.

Ginny looked up at the sound of hooves. The group looked at each other, fear in their eyes.

"Get off the road," Aragorn ordered, "Take cover."

But Lola knew who it was. "No! It's not a Black Rider," She told them, "Listen? Does it sound like one?"

They listened carefully. "No," Pippin agreed hopefully.

Aragorn looked at her. "Do you know this from what you remember from the work of fiction?"

Lola nodded. "It is not a Black Rider."

Suddenly the horse came into view. It was gleaming white, and its rider wore a flowing golden cloak. His long blonde hair billowed behind him as he galloped.

"Glorfindel," Lola whispered.

It was at that moment that Frodo collapsed.

…..

Ginny panicked. She knew exactly what had happened.

We've altered the time. Frodo's wound is getting worse now, and it's meant to happen in a day or so. I have to do something. We have to get him to Rivendell fast.

Glorfindel had already dismounted. He addressed Aragorn, "_Ai na vedui Dunadan! Mae govannen!" _

"Aragorn!" Ginny cried suddenly, "Aragorn- Frodo!"

Aragorn saw Frodo's unconscious body and looked very grim. He turned to Glorfindel.

"I am afraid there is no time for pleasantries, Glorfindel," He explained, "I must ask for your aid. Frodo has received a wound from a cursed blade, and it is beyond my skill to heal. We must get him to Lord Elrond as fast as we possibly can. Would you be so kind to allow him to ride with you back to Rivendell?"

Glorfindel did not hesitate. "My horse will bear I and him safely and swiftly to Rivendell. His speed rivals that of the enemy's steeds."

The other hobbits bent over Frodo, concerned. Lola glanced worriedly at Ginny. Frodo's eyes seemed glazed over, misty even.

Glorfindel and Aragorn began to speak in elvish. Julia turned to Ginny.

"Have we done something?" She asked.

"We've delayed time," Ginny tried to act calmer then she felt, "Frodo was meant to collapse in a day or so, but we've slowed everyone down."

Lola gaped, unable to say anything.

"Oh my gosh," Julia gasped, "Have we screwed everything up?"

"Hopefully not," Ginny swallowed, "Glorfindel's getting Frodo safely to Rivendell."

Lola and Julia didn't look convinced. Ginny didn't feel convinced.

…..

**A.N: I hope you enjoyed it, but I don't feel 100% about this chapter… I dunno. I was writing for a solid hour or so.**

**Anyway, please review- only four reviews for the last chapter; actually that's not bad, but oh well.**

**REVIEW!**

**(I hope Pippin hasn't starved to death… I left him at home in my closet with three packets of potato chips…)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello! Good news: Pippin didn't die, because he managed to get out of the closet and ate everything in the pantry. Mum and dad were furious, and I got into a bit of trouble. They say I needed to house train him, so I started today by putting him on a leash. He was kinda pissed off. No idea why.**

**Anyway, just some replies to my three reviewers: Ginny, Brightpath2 and R4Tmz.**

**Ginny: I tried calling you yesterday and today, but it went to answer phone. Just letting ya know.**

**Brightpath2: I didn't really mean elvish runes as such; just designs, like curvy lines and stuff adoring his costume. Because I can write in elvish runes, I would've specified something. But that's cool about the sketches- can't wait to see it, been looking at some of your stuff on deviantart and it looks awesome! :D I heard about your book and looked it up on amazon, looks awesome. I read the preview and I wanna buy it now!**

**R4Tmz: Ahhh! You guessed my secret romance plot! DEAR GOD NO! Lol. Anyway, nice hearing from ya, I was gonna mention your previous review in the last A/N, but forgot. Love getting long reviews with good solid feedback! And yes, all of the flashback scenes actually happened: for Ginny's 13****th**** birthday we ate pizza and watched Pitch Perfect, before going to the Halloween train, and I wore my Bofur hat and Ginny's mum's coat! Then, we really did go out into the garden and have Ginny scare us from up a tree. In fact, some of the quotes are taken directly from memory, including: "I'm Bofur! I can't go first! Tran, you can be Thorin, you go first!" Same with the gully flashback. As for the comment about whether they'll get back… I'll let you in on a little secret, and that is that… ****_I honestly have no idea._**

…..

[22nd October, T.A. 3018]

Tran Tongskill stood at a balcony overlooking Rivendell. He squinted at the road in the distance, seeing a few shapes moving. Then it became clear.

From around the hill came a group of travellers and a pony, but he could not see who they were or what race they were from. He took his glasses off, polished them with the bottom of his tunic, and squinted harder.

Finally, it became evident he would not be able to see them from where he stood. Curious, he removed himself from the balcony and rushed back into his room.

He travelled down three flights of stairs before he reached the first floor, and then found himself hurrying down at least four long corridors before he ended up at the entrance to Rivendell.

The group had already nearly reached the entrance- they were crossing the second bridge. Tran assessed them.

There seemed to be a man, three women and three undersized men, along with a pony. The man he recognized as Aragorn, for he was an acquaintance of Tran's. The undersized men he knew were hobbits, for another one of their race had been lying unconscious under Lord Elrond's care for two days now. But the women were what puzzled him, and then shocked him to the core.

The one at the front was a ginger. Her hair was relatively tidy but her dress was filthy. The one behind her, however, had hair that stuck up everywhere- and she was a brunette. Lastly came another brown-haired woman, but her hair was in a ponytail.

Tran stared at them. He had let go of his life on Earth long ago, but something about these women had provoked him to remember.

They became closer, and the ginger one looked at him. Her face changed from confusion to surprise to delight in about three seconds. Then she began to laugh.

Ginny.

The brunette turned to her, confused. Ginny pointed. The woman looked shocked, and then began to laugh too.

Lola.

And finally, the pony-tailed woman recognized him. She grinned and began to run towards him.

Julia.

"Tran!" Lola shrieked, "Oh my gawd, this is completely insane!"

Julia engulfed him in a hug. Tran blinked rapidly, before finally speaking: "Um… hi."

"Oh. My. God." Ginny had caught up to them too, "We haven't seen you for ten years. Five of those years you've been 'missing'. Then suddenly we find you in Middle Earth and all you can say is 'Hi'?! And, by the way, what are you wearing…?"

Tran looked down at his attire. He was wearing leggings, and a long sleeved shirt over which he wore a long tunic. It was coloured rusty red and oak brown. "Long story."

"Oh my god, look at your sword," Lola pointed to an elven sword in its sheath on a belt around his waist. "Do you know how to use it?"

"Yeah," Tran shrugged.

"What happened? Why are you here? Why are we here?" Julia fired question after question at him.

"Long story," Tran repeated. Aragorn, the pony, and the three hobbits caught up to them.

"Greetings, Tran. Do you know these girls?" Aragorn frowned at him.

Tran shifted uncomfortably, "They were just introducing themselves,"

Aragorn nodded, although he still looked suspicious. He and the hobbits carried on.

"We'll catch up in a minute," Lola called after them. Then she turned back to Tran, confused. "Why couldn't you just tell him we were from your world?"

"He doesn't know. None of them do," Tran explained, "Apart from Elrond."

Ginny looked surprised. "Should we have not told him?"

"Told him what?" Tran asked.

"That we were from Earth, and that we knew about this place from a book," She said.

"I don't know. Elrond just advised me not to tell anyone." Tran shrugged.

Ginny frowned.

_Normally, Tran would never have said 'advised'. Normally, Tran would have said 'told'._

"How long have you been here?" She said aloud.

"Five years," Tran replied.

"So, this is where you disappeared to," Julia concluded.

"Yeah," Tran nodded, "Was it a big deal?"

"The police had no idea what had happened," Lola laughed, "Nooo idea."

"Well, I better take you to see Elrond," Tran grinned, "Follow me,"

…..

Tran lead them into Rivendell. Just the very scent of the place the girls found refreshing; the smell of trees and peace and tranquillity. They had never encountered a place like this before in their twenty-first century world- a place that did not reek of industry or pop culture. All their earth cities seemed to cut deep into their world, but this one- Rivendell- seemed to move in unison with it. It _breathed_ with it.

They were speechless. Tran lead them up some stairs and through a long hallway. They brushed trees as they walked past.

The silence that inhabited the place was not awkward, but powerful. The women had never heard silence that loud before.

They found themselves in a large room. To one side was a desk, covered with old parchments. To another was some steps leading up to a balcony. Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, stood at that balcony.

"My Lord Elrond," Tran greeted him, "I bring to you three women, whom travelled with Aragorn and the hobbits here."

Ginny frowned.

_Why was Tran speaking like that?_

Elrond turned. He wore long flowing robes in dark orangey red, and atop his head was a circlet of elvish design. He looked grave, but smiled politely.

Lola had the same star-struck look she got whenever she met a new character. Ginny kicked her for looking so gormless.

"I introduce Ginny Elton, Julia Peters and Lola Evans," Tran gestured towards them.

"Welcome to Imladris, Ginny Elton, Julia Peters, and Lola Evans," Elrond greeted them, "You have travelled long through many dangers, I know; but do not fear, for you shall be safe in my house. Why have you come to Rivendell, may I ask?"

"To speak to you, my Lord," Ginny spoke, "We have some issues we must discuss with you. I think, probably, it is best for them to be left till tomorrow, when we have rested and are fresh."

"Yes, that would be wise," Elrond agreed, "Guests shall be treated well in The Last Homely House; you shall be given new attire, for yours has seen better days"

"We must consider that, my Lord- for these clothes have treated us well, and we should like to keep them, if ever we are to return to Bree." Lola piped up.

"Very well," Elrond nodded, "But for now Tran will take you for something to eat, and then to the rooms you will stay in for tonight. We shall speak again tomorrow."

…..

"Explain everything," Ginny said to Tran. The foursome, reunited, were sitting in Lola's room. They had had a little to eat, and seen their rooms.

"Everything about what?" Tran asked.

"What happened when you got here, stuff like that," Lola explained.

Tran was silent for a moment, before speaking, "I came home from school, after being bullied all the way home about 'being gay'."

"Are you?" Lola asked suddenly.

"No," Tran said fiercely, "Anyway, I came home and went up to my room, collapsed on my bed, and fell asleep. And then… well…I had a weird dream,"

"What happened in the dream?" Julia asked, wondering whether it had been the same as hers.

"There was a baby," Tran began, getting a faraway look on his face. "In the water."

A sharp intake of breath came from Julia.

Tran glanced up, but said nothing about it, and continued. "It was staring at the ceiling. I was beside it, but I couldn't move. I tried so hard to reach out a hand, and finally broke free. But as soon as I touched the baby, it began to age. It went from childhood to adolescence in the space of ten seconds, and then from adolescence to adulthood, and finally it was an old man. But it didn't stop there- it died, the baby. Well, the old man. Then it- he- began to disintegrate."

"Ew," Lola wrinkled up her nose.

"First his flesh was eaten away, until there was only bones left. By that time I was really scared and feeling kinda sick. Then the skeleton began to sink, into the water- which was up to my hips. I was really grossed out, so I began to wade away from it. But then the water drained away, and there was his ghost, and he was standing in front of me, and I couldn't run away. He was talking- his mouth was moving- but I couldn't hear what he was saying. Then suddenly I could hear him, but he was talking in a different language, and I didn't understand. But suddenly, I did- but I don't remember what he said."

Ginny butted in. "And then you died,"

Tran frowned, "How did you know?"

"Because I had a very similar dream," She explained, "Anyway, finish what you were saying."

"And I started to run, but somehow I had forgotten how to run, and I was crawling away, but I could still hear the words, which seemed to change from the language to English to back again. It was scary. Then I felt a pain in my back. I turned and I could see blood gushing from a wound in my backside- but then, I was disintegrating too. I don't remember anything else."

Tran fell silent. Ginny was the next to speak. "As I said, I had a similar dream."

"Same," Lola blurted.

"Me too," Julia added, "But mine was very different from Tran's."

She began to tell the others her dream. They all listened intently until she had spoken the last word. Then Lola asked if she should recount her dream. The other three eagerly said yes.

"There was a baby too," Lola began, "But I wasn't beside it, or watching it from a hill- I was holding it. The baby was tiny, miniscule- my hand was filled with water and the baby was floating in it. It was dead- and you know my phobia of dead things…"

They all nodded. Lola had both a fear and respect for all dead things- she wouldn't set foot in a graveyard out of that fear and respect. It had started around the time she had found her pet rabbit dead in her hutch, and touched her back, finding her fur soft but her body stiff and cold.

"I wanted to tip it out, but my hand wouldn't move. I tried screaming but my lips were sealed shut- and that was the worst thing, not being able to express my distress. And then suddenly, it was as if _I_ was the baby, lying in the water. I began to kick and struggle, but I couldn't move. I didn't know if I was dead or alive, but I kept trying anyway. And then I managed to kick enough water to create a wave big enough to tip me out."

"You created a wave?" Ginny looked incredulous. Lola nodded.

"It was only a small wave, but it was enough. I fell out, fell what felt like miles to the ground. The entire place was white and blank, so I couldn't tell what speed I was going, or how close the ground was, but somehow I found it- and my entire body should have been broken, but it wasn't. Then I saw that the person holding the pool of water and the baby had been transformed from me to an old man. He was cloaked in grey. His lips were moving silently at first, but then he began to speak in a great booming voice, and I shrank away. As you two said, he was speaking in a language I had never heard before. But, his voice grew louder and louder and I was deafened. I screamed in my anguish, terrified by the prospect of being deaf for the rest of my life. I screamed and screamed, and little by little my energy was drained away. I could still see him before me, huge and terrible, and I suddenly felt impotent hatred. He had conquered me. In a last feat of strength I crawled over to him, and began to pummel my little fists on his big boot. He didn't even look at me, just raised his boot-"

Lola stopped. The room was silent.

"-I don't remember anything else," She sighed, "He must've squashed me. It made me so mad, but I was so small, so useless. And then I ended up in Bree."

"I guess I'd better tell mine now," Ginny concluded, "And then Tran can tell us the rest of his story."

"Let me guess- it involves a baby floating in water," Julia raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Ginny laughed, "The naked baby, floating in the water. I was beside it, like in Tran's dream. But then, out of its belly button came flowing thousands of little spiders. They devoured it from the inside out. I was terrified, and found that I could move, if only sluggishly, as if I was drugged. I was wading through the water away from it when I saw a house in the distance. As I got closer I saw it was actually _my_ house. It was like a lifeline. I got closer and closer, but then I saw standing in front of the door was-"

"The old man," Lola finished.

Ginny nodded. "The old man. And- his lips were moving, and then he began to speak in the strange language. But then something strange happened- he advanced towards me, and he was holding a knife. I dodged past him and into the house, slamming the door and locking it behind me. But then… the house was empty. I was alone. It was silent. My brother and sister's doors were ajar, but they weren't in their rooms. I ran into the kitchen and saw my entire family hanged in a row. My mum, Stephanie, Simon, Grant… I broke down, sweating and panicky. I was alone in the house with a psycho old man outside the door."

All was silent. Ginny gulped and continued. "I wasn't afraid of being hanged along with my family- in fact, I rather saw the prospect far more inviting than living. It was just… it was scary. And cruel. I was never going to see them again, except their grotesque dead faces, contorted with silent screams. I looked down at my stomach, feeling a tickling sensation- and realized I was being devoured from the inside out, just like the baby. I screamed, but it was too late. I don't remember anything else."

Julia took a shaky breath. "What does it mean, these dreams?"

"Dunno," Lola shrugged, "But we should tell Elrond tomorrow."

"Anyway, Tran, would you like to finish telling what happened?" Julia turned to the Thai boy.

Tran continued, "Anyway, I had the dream, and didn't remember anything else from my sleep. When I woke, I was in a tree."

Lola burst out laughing.

Tran smiled a little and carried on, "I think the first thing I said was: 'What the f***?! What the f***?!' and I just kept screaming it over and over till my voice grew hoarse. I was exhausted and frightened and the tree was quite tall- and it was hanging over a massive abyss filled with water, next to a waterfall. It was on a freaky lean, too. Anyway, someone eventually heard me and found the tree."

"An elf?" Ginny asked. Tran nodded.

"An elf, a boy elf. I never was told his name, but he ran to get help. They helped me down the tree with some rope. Anyway, I had no idea where I was, and I kept asking them but they wouldn't tell me. They lead me to Elrond. I was really freaked out- what were these pointy-eared dudes with long hair? But Elrond was nice enough. He asked me where I was from, and I asked where was I then. We reached a sort of understanding eventually."

"Did you tell him about the dream?" Ginny asked.

"What about the book?" Lola added.

Tran nodded. "I told him everything, thinking he could tell me why I was here. He told me I was in Rivendell, but he didn't know why. He told me that he and his kindred were elves, but he was half-elven. I didn't understand any of it. He asked if my world was within Arda, and I said no, I had never come across the name."

"Did you realize you were in Middle Earth eventually?" Julia asked.

"Yeah, after a while. I had heard about it from Lord of the Rings- mostly from Lola, though. I didn't understand why I was there, only that I was, and I had to make do with it. I was still wearing my school uniform, so Elrond gave me new clothes," Tran gestured towards his outfit, "And a room to sleep it, as well as food. I was still confused, but accepted it anyway."

"What about your sword?" Lola asked, pointing towards the scabbard sitting next to the bed.

"I was just getting to that," Tran replied, "Elrond began to like me. I helped him however I could, 'coz he'd helped me. He agreed to have me trained in combat, and I was trained up by an elf named Belegil. I've been practicing swordplay for five years now, so I'm fairly good. Anyway, I basically lived peacefully here for five years, and then you three came."

"Right," Lola nodded, "Did Elrond ever figure out why you were there?"

"No," Tram shook his head.

The three women looked at each other, distraught. If he couldn't figure out why Tran was there, it was logical to say he wouldn't be able to figure out this time either.

"But now that we know we all had the same dream," Tran added, "There is still a chance."

…..

**A/N: Ahhh, the chapter everyone has been waiting for: THE RETURN OF TRAN. Also, the chapter with the most dialogue. In total there were 282 words just in Tran's dream. And I hope you liked the dreams, because I spent soooo long thinking of them. BTW, if anyone likes Pip/Di fluff stuff, I have a cute oneshot up, with no reviews... hint hint HINT.**

**Pippin: Review! Distract her so I can get free!**

**Don't bother about him, he's just arachnophobic.**

**Pippin: …that makes no sense.**

**Nope… nope, it doesn't. REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey ho! Thanks for the reviews people! Reviews are yummy- a little bit crunchy, though.**

**Just finished reading His Dark Materials. I'm so sad- after shipping Lyra and Will for TWO WHOLE BOOKS… oh man. I won't spoil it for anyone who might be reading it. I'm kinda distraught.**

**The status with Pippin is not looking good- I have to feed him something healthier than potato chips, so I tried raw cabbage, coz that's what I feed my bunny. He got pissed off again.**

**Answers to some reviews:**

**R4Tmz: Ooh, good guess about the old man- but no! Not Gandalf, he is wearing grey, but he's not grey all over… and he doesn't have a beard. **

**Ginny: Ohhhh that makes, like, so much sense now. Apparently you're family is like, everywhere at the moment. I was wondering: "How can she review my story and then not be at home?" But then, you probably have a computer at your dad's. Right. That makes sense. Because I need at bit of help with something… I would ring Julia but she's away, or Tran (who would be the most helpful in the situation) but he's in Thailand and remember what happened last time I called him? Ya. Don't want that to happen again. :/**

**Brightpath2: Awesome! Can't wait to see it! :D**

**On with the chapter!**

…..

[9th August 2023]

She was a doll. She was plastic. Her face was smooth and pale, unblemished and unmoving, her eyes closed, her eyelashes level and fake.

Her hand was cold.

He rubbed his chin, feeling the bristles brush his hand. He blinked sleep out of his eyes and resumed staring at her.

He cried every night, but he could not sleep. It was too much knowing that on the other side of town she was in an eternal slumber, condemned to perpetual ignorance.

She was a doll. That was what he told himself. A porcelain doll, a plastic doll- hell, even Barbie, as long as he did not have to face the fact that she was a living person, that she was his girlfriend.

He loved her. He loved her with a fierce painful passion that was hard found and long sought after in this age of the world.

No matter of kisses and touches or anything in the year previous could have wrenched this feeling from him.

That, to him, shamed his person further. What was he, when it took the sight of his girlfriend in a coma to finally make him realize he loved her?

He hated himself. He told himself he was a complete bastard that he had taken her for granted. And now she was gone… not gone, but not quite there, even so.

She was a doll, he told himself.

_Why is she in a hospital bed hooked up to life support? _The realist inside him asked. 

We're playing doctors, he replied, and she is the patient.

_Fool, _It snarled, _you're twenty-four. A mature man. _

And you're a f***ing bastard, He replied, and felt all the worse for it.

He held her hand tightly. His girlfriend- no, that sounded trivial and weak. His lover.

His lover. His doll. His lover. His doll. He no longer knew the difference.

"What a tragedy," The doctors would attempt to sympathize with him, even as they watched him grow more and more to resemble a madman with an unshaved face and red, glassy eyes.

What a tragedy. Phillip Frederick Lasky grows insane with grief at the bedside of his half-dead girlfriend.

His life was falling apart. He needed help, but none came. He needed sleep, but none came. He needed _her_, his lover, his doll, but she did not come either.

What a tragedy indeed.

…..

[23rd October, T.A. 3018]

Julia woke in her Rivendell room. She was wearing a plain elvish nightgown, and her dress was lying, folded neatly at the foot of her bed, washed and now free from marsh grim.

She struggled out of bed. At one end of the room there was a basin filled with clear water. She splashed her face in it, assuming that was what it was for. Then she got dressed.

After that, she wasn't sure what to do. Where should she go? It was morning, but where would she get breakfast? What does one do in Rivendell anyway?

Eventually, she crept into Ginny's room, which was next door. Ginny wasn't there, so she wandered down the hall to Lola's room.

Lola was still in bed. Julia leant over her and hissed, "Lola!"

When that didn't work, she shook her. "Lola!"

"Mmmm?" Lola mumbled, turning over.

"Wake up," Julia said, "It's morning and I don't know what to do."

"What makes you think _I'll_ know what to do?" Lola yawned, sitting up.

"You know heaps about Middle Earth."

"But do you honestly think Tolkien ever specified where to find breakfast in Rivendell?"

"Well, it'll be easier to find together."

"What about Ginny?"

"She's gone," Julia explained, "I checked. I wonder where she is."

"Check Tran's room, he'll know what to do. I'll get dressed," Lola yawned again and staggered out of bed.

Julia wasn't familiar with Rivendell- it was confusing. Soon she didn't recognize the part of Rivendell she was in, and then became certain she had taken a wrong turn- and eventually realized she was lost.

But then she heard a strange voice, speaking a strange language. She followed the voice down the hall and into a wide courtyard.

The voice belonged to an elf, but then she heard another voice, speaking the same language, but more familiar.

Tran was sparring with the elf, and they were chanting what seemed to be numbers in an elvish language. Ginny sat on the side, watching.

"Hi," Julia sat down beside her ginger friend.

"Hey ho," Ginny greeted her, not taking her eyes off the fight for a second, "That's Belegil. They've been sparring all morning. He's good, isn't he?"

"Who, Belegil or Tran?" Julia asked.

"Both, but I was talking about Tran," Ginny flicked her hair, which was in a plait, over her shoulder. "I'm surprised you found us. I wouldn't have been able to. Tran woke me up this morning to show me, because last night I said I was interested."

The elf was quite tall, and very fit. He had long dark hair and the grim face of a disciplined sword master. In comparison Tran looked small, but he was a match for Belegil after five years in training- he was fast and deft; he flitted around like a little bird, while Belegil pounced like a cat.

"He's different," Ginny said suddenly.

"Who?" Julia asked.

"Tran," Ginny frowned, "He speaks differently, he looks different… and I can just see it; he thinks differently."

"Well, you didn't think he'd be exactly the same. It's been ten years." Julia reasoned.

"But you and Lola aren't different," Ginny contradicted.

"But he's spent five years in a different world," Julia said- and at that moment Lola joined them.

"Thanks for coming and getting me!" Lola huffed.

"I stumbled on this place by accident; I didn't want to go back in case I got lost again," Julia explained.

"What do we do about breakfast?" Lola asked.

"Dunno. Let's ask Tran once he'd done," Ginny shrugged.

The watched the fight progress. Tran's light and quick movements put Belegil off balance, but they sparred often and he knew how to avoid them. It was evident that Belegil was still the better swordsman, and Tran ended up on the ground with Belegil's blade pointed at his neck.

"Good fight," Ginny clapped Tran on the back as he walked towards them. He was sweaty and red but still managed a smile.

"Another?" Belegil spoke for the first time.

"Let me have a rest first!" Tran scowled, sitting on the bench beside them.

"Hey Tran-" Julia began, but was cut off by the sound of an elf coming from the hall.

They turned to see an elegant elleth walk into the courtyard, holding three large bowls.

"Lord Elrond sends this to you, Tran and the guests so you may break your fast," She addressed Belegil, placing them down on another bench, before swiftly turning on her heel and walking out.

Julia peered inside the bowls. They were full of fruits, all in shades varying from salmon pink to orange. Most she had never seen before.

"That was Nimaelin," Tran explained, then added, "Belegil likes her,"

Belegil gave him a look that clearly said: 'You're childish.'

Julia picked up a small red fruit that reminded her of a cherry- however; it tasted like a sweet mixture of peach and plum. The five ate well, and Tran regained enough strength for another round of fencing.

As Tran and Belegil began another fight, Lola turned to the other two, "I'm glad they brought it to us- it's easy to find stuff in Bree, but Rivendell is just… like a big house, it's not a town at all!"

"When do you think we should see Elrond?" Julia asked.

"After this round of sparring," Ginny decided, "We have a lot to discuss."

…..

"You wished to speak to me?" Elrond stood in front of the foursome. Ginny stood slightly in front of the other three, addressing him.

"Yes," She nodded.

"Do sit down," Elrond gestured towards a bench. The four sat on it, and Elrond seated himself on another. "You may begin."

"You see…" Ginny faltered, wondering where to begin. "Well, we're not from this world, Elrond."

"I am aware of that," Elrond nodded, "Your names, your accents, and your association with Tran makes it obvious to me."

"Yeah…" Ginny stumbled again, "Anyway, you must know all about the book and how we know about it,"

"Yes," Elrond nodded again.

"Lola knows the most about it," Ginny added, "Anyway, we don't know why we're here. Perhaps you could help us?"

Elrond sighed. "I have pondered on this for long. I have not a sound theory. I fear I cannot help you."

"But there's more," Ginny hastily said, "Did Tran mention the dream?"

"Yes," Elrond said, "But I am not sure what to make of it."

"Well, all four of us had a very similar dream," Ginny continued, "All of which concerned a baby floating in water, the baby dying, the old man speaking in a strange language, and then us dying. I think it must have something to do with it."

Elrond frowned. "Tell me."

So the three girls recounted their dreams, and Tran recounted his again. Elrond looked more and more puzzled, until at last he spoke.

"How do you know each other?" He asked.

"We were friends, at school," Ginny told him, "Ten years ago."

"Then perhaps…" He paused, gingerly testing the idea as if it was a bruise, "Perhaps the baby represents something associated with that."

The foursome looked at each other.

"I must ponder on this," He announced, standing up, "It is enough for one day. The situation is unlike I have ever encountered before. I must sit and think. Return again tomorrow."

And with that, he dismissed them.

…..

"If Elrond can't figure this out, nobody can." Lola sighed as the four of them walked out of his quarters.

"What happens if he doesn't?" Julia asked.

She, Tran and Lola turned to Ginny.

Ginny threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know, honestly- what else is there to do if he doesn't figure it out?"

"Join the Fellowship?" Lola joked.

The other three turned to face her.

"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh, that would be awesome!" Julia cried.

"I was just kidding…" Lola said awkwardly, "They would never let us in. We're women, and Tran's fairly young."

"So sexist," Julia muttered darkly.

"Middle Earth _is_ sexist- you'd better get used to it," Lola sighed.

"But what if…" Ginny trailed off. "Nope, nothing."

"There is no way they'd let us into the Fellowship- don't even bother trying." Lola sighed, "In every girl in Middle Earth story I've ever read-"

"Now _you're_ being sexist!" Tran cried, "What about boy in Middle Earth?"

Lola ignored him. "In every girl in Middle Earth story I've ever read, they've either been let into the Fellowship because of some dumb prophecy, or because they can bend the elements, or they get let it from saying: 'OMG we gotta come- You're so sexist Elrond!' Then of course, there are the ones that get in from lack of explanation…"

"Ok, we get it," Julia interrupted.

"-seeing as everything on that list is completely implausible, there is no way we can get in."

"Everything on that list," Ginny argued, "But that's not all the possibilities."

"Don't waste your time," Lola warned, "There is no way."

Ginny pursed her lips.

…..

Julia opened her eyes- but instead of her comfortable bed in Rivendell, she was standing in the world of white.

_This is a dream_, she thought.

She looked around. There was nothing, no baby, no old man, and no water. She was totally alone.

She stood up, and suddenly a tiny breeze came rushing past her ear. It was very faint, but in it she could hear a whisper.

_"Come back Julia. Please wake up."_

It was Phillip's voice. She choked, spinning around. There was nothing there.

She looked at the ground. One the ground was a line, a thin, black line, hardly noticeable. Cautiously, she began to walk along it.

The world around her changed, transformed. Suddenly it was her hometown. She walked past the mall, buzzing with shoppers who walked right through her. But as she walked, it began to transform again. The shoppers disappeared. The mall disappeared. Little by little, the town disappeared.

She gasped and tried to stop, but found she no longer had control over her legs.

Phillip's voice found her ear again.

_"Come back Julia. Please wake up."_

It was louder, but Julia couldn't stop. She kept walking, and watched the civilization disintegrate, and the land change, and then it began to move.

New Zealand was reattaching itself to Australia.

_"Come back Julia. Please wake up."_ The voice was harsher now, louder. The land moved, changed, Julia watched dinosaurs pass by, evolving backwards. She kept walking, but she was in tears now, begging her legs to stop.

_"Come back Julia. Please wake up."_

The voice was louder still. _"Come back Julia. Please wake up."_

_"Come back Julia. Please wake up."_

_"Come back Julia. Please wake up."_

"I can't!" She screamed, as the dinosaurs faded, and prehistoric times passed.

Abruptly, the world turned white again, but Julia was still walking, sobbing, wondering what was going on.

But then she was in Rivendell again, still walking along the black line. There was no one there, and the place was dilapidated, dead. Then, slowly, it began to revive. The Elves returned, slowly, like a large river trickling through a tiny crack. And then she stopped.

_"Come back Julia. Please wake up."_

The voice was intense, not like Phillip's at all now, contorted and nightmarish. Julia fell to her knees, and bid herself to awaken.

That she did, and she was too shocked to have any coherent thought in her mind, except one that completely terrified her:

_We're not travellers between two worlds. We're time travellers._

…..

**A/N: AHHHH! **

**Pippin: What are you screaming for?**

**Me: I'm just totally stoked about this chapter I jut wrote!**

**Pippin: …right.**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! (Pip, d'ya think if I say it loud enough they'll do it?)**

**Pippin: Probably not.**

**…never mind. REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hullo! This chapter's a little bit late- it was meant to be up at 10 am but I had to go shopping for school shoes, and then sports shoes, and then socks… Anyway it's here now. :D**

**OMG, we have 75 reviews! I am so stoked! My goal was originally, like, twenty, but… whoa. Whoa and whoa. And not a single flame! One slightly critical review, and like 74 amazing ones! I feel so happy that I've managed to please you guys. Though… Ginny is my most prolific reviewer, and she's a bit biased. :)**

**Anyways, another flashback sequence. The reason for the flashbacks is because I didn't get to introduce the characters extensively in the first chapter, and I like to refer back to the fact that even though ten years has passed, they're in this together, and the reason it's them four is because all those years ago they had those moments, they were friends. **

**And, just like the other two flashbacks, this one is entirely true too. :)**

…..

[16th November 2013]

Flashback

Lola sat at the table, grinning as Julia made funny faces. Ginny was happily eating ice cream, and Tran was furiously rubbing his eyes.

It was Lola's birthday. The foursome sat around her table, eating ice cream cake.

"Mffm!" Ginny suddenly said with her mouth full. She then proceeded to make motions with her hands towards Tran and Julia.

Tran was still rubbing his eyes- the pollen in the gully had affected them. Julia continued to make funny faces.

Ginny began to point towards herself randomly.

"I'm the only sane one here," Tran sighed, adjusting his glasses.

"You're also the only one crying- what does that say?" Ginny retorted.

"Are we gonna go outside and whittle sticks and stab people with them?" Lola asked. They had found sticks in the gully the previous hour, and Ginny had brought whittling knifes.

"After ice cream!" Julia said.

…..

It was dark. Tran and Lola stood on the road, a pink bike at their feet.

Their plans to whittle sticks had changed when Tran had seen the bikes in the garage. Now Julia and Ginny had cycled off somewhere- they had no idea where they'd gone- and Lola was trying to get Tran's helmet on.

The helmet actually belonged to Lola's father, but the pink bike belonged to her little sister.

"If a car comes," Lola told him, "Then you might just wanna abandon the bike, my sister hates that thing anyway,"

"Kay," Tran nodded, struggling with the helmet strap.

"Where's Ginny and Julia gone…" Lola sighed, looking around.

"Aw, I'm not joining them!" Tran began to fake cry, "I'm just like, all alone with _you_!"

"I'm sorry!" Lola cried, "I'm not that bad company… oh, god, where are they!? I only meant to bike around the cul-de-sac so that, you know, we wouldn't loose them… we should probably get them actually…"

Tran continued to struggle with the helmet. "Help…"

"Oh my god, this thing is _tight_!" Lola tried to loosen it.

"Yeah, I know, that's what I've been saying!" Tran agreed.

"That's my_ dad's_ helmet!" Lola said incredulously.

"You're dad has a small head." Tran decided.

Lola burst out laughing.

"He doesn't look like he does… oh look, there they are," Tran pointed to two figures coming round the corner.

"Hi!" Lola called, then realized Ginny was aiming straight for her, "Oh shoot…"

"IN COMIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!" Ginny yelled as the two girls coasted towards them.

"Ah! Stop! Stop!" Lola yelped as Ginny nearly crashed into her.

"Lola, can I borrow one of your jackets?" Julia called.

"Yep, sure," Lola called back, before turning back to Tran's helmet. "Got it! There you go,"

"You can ride this bike," Julia told her, before turning and running inside.

The bike she had handed her was actually Lola's own bike. Ginny was riding her father's. Lola mounted it and put on the helmet that Julia had left on the handlebars. By that stage, however, Ginny and Tran had already started down the cul-de-sac.

"Guys, wait!" Lola yelled, but her voice was lost on the wind. Instead, she began to pedal as fast as she could.

"Why is my bike on gear six?" She said out loud, switching it to four.

The three of them biked one round around the cul-de-sac, before stopping in front of the house where Julia was just coming out.

"Oh my gosh Tran!" Ginny yelped as Tran zigzagged in on his little pink bike, his knees almost touching the handlebars with each pedal.

"My sister doesn't even fit that any more," Lola looked at him warily.

"My legs are sorta… cold, but oh well," Julia jogged up to them.

"Is that my school jacket or yours?" Lola asked, pointing to the jacket Julia had chosen.

"Yours," Julia laughed, "I was like, 'Hmm, what can I find…'"

"Tran, you need a helmet!" Lola yelled after Tran, who had just biked away with Ginny, having taken the helmet off and left it on the grass. "Dammit… that took me ages to put on."

She hopped off the bike and gave it back to Julia. "Here,"

"Thanks," Julia took it and put the helmet on.

Ginny returned, "I just ripped my pants…"

The chain on the bike had got caught in her Adidas' and ripped them.

"Oh my god, sorry!" Lola winced.

"Nah, that's ok, they're really old. They need replacing anyway," Ginny shrugged.

"Ginny, race you round the cul-de-sac," Julia challenged her.

"Kay!" Ginny grinned, "And… go!"

They cycled off, leaving Tran and Lola standing on the street.

"Hey guys, wait! All three of you can race!" Lola called after them. They didn't hear, however, and the other two had to wait till they came back.

"All three of you should race," Lola suggested, "I'll run along beside you."

"Ok," Ginny agreed. "This tree will be our starting point."

"Who wins what?" Julia asked.

"Um…" Lola thought for a moment, "Second and third get nothing, first gets a stick."

"Ok, cool," Ginny nodded.

"Line up… alright… on your marks… get set… GO!" Lola cried. The three of them shot off into the night.

In the lead was Ginny, biking furiously. She was used to bikes; she biked to school every day.

Next was Tran, zigzagging precariously on the little pink bike, but peddling as fast as he could.

And last was Julia, who wasn't actually slow- she was just biking a lot more cautiously than the other two.

Lola sprinted just behind them, grinning. The wind whipped her hair back so it streamed behind her, but she couldn't run as fast as usual in her ballet flats.

Julia attempted to overtake Tran, but Tran peddled even faster, nearly tipping over at the turn.

"Stay in your lanes people!" Lola reminded them.

However, Tran's small bike didn't navigate hills so well, and it was time to cycle back up. Julia passed him easily.

There was only about twenty metres or so to the finish. Tran managed to find some grip on the tarmac and kept on going, to pass Julia in the last fifteen metres.

Meanwhile, Ginny was only five metres from the finish.

"No! It's not fair!" Julia yelled as Tran passed her.

"The neighbours are gonna be so pissed…" Lola laughed under her breath, thinking about the noise they must be making.

Ginny raced through the finish, screaming "I WIN!"

Tran coasted in at second with Julia coming in last.

Lola jogged up to meet them. "I'm so sorry guys, I got it wrong… last place wins…"

"AWWWW!" Ginny cried, before bursting into fits of laughter.

…..

Ten minutes later they were all sitting in the garage. It was dark outside but the garage light was on.

They all had sticks (apart from Tran, who didn't want to whittle) and Lola and Julia had knives, while Ginny had scissors.

As they sat whittling, Lola had put her ipod on, and Taylor Swift's _Fearless_ was blaring out of it.

They were a lot more settled now as they sat and talked and whittled. The night grew older and the stars grew brighter and wood shavings began to collect at their feet.

_Best birthday ever, _Lola decided, smiling into the darkness.

End Flashback

…..

[24th October, T.A. 3018]

"I'm afraid I have pondered over these dreams, but have not come far," Elrond addressed them as they sat on the benches.

"I think," He began, "That the dead baby represents your friendship- something that was once part of you, but is now gone. In each of the three dreams, the baby was revived- except in one…" Elrond looked at Ginny. "But I am not yet sure what that means."

Ginny's brow furrowed.

"But that is as far as I have gotten to interpreting it," He concluded.

"Elrond… I had another dream last night," Julia tentatively said, and then recounted her dream.

The room fell silent as she finished.

Elrond turned to her, but she spoke first.

"I don't think that we are in a different world, Elrond. I think we have gone back in time. Middle Earth was once a part of our world… but it was destroyed."

Silence. Elrond frowned, probably wondering if this destruction was of Sauron's doing. But then he nodded slowly. "That makes some sense."

"I'm just wondering, Elrond," Lola piped up, "You see, how can you understand us if we do not speak Westron?"

Elrond frowned, "You are speaking Westron."

The foursome looked at each other, astonished.

"How can we speak a language without knowing it?" Lola asked.

"You speak Westron, but sometimes say words not found in the Westron dialect," Elrond explained, "But people can understand you."

Ginny suddenly spoke, "Elrond… what about the old man? He was speaking in a language and then…"

Elrond's face lit up. "Perhaps that was the moment you began to understand and speak Westron. Whoever placed you here armed you with what would be necessary to survive- the most common language. Therefore, we can assume it was a deliberate placement."

"But why?" Lola asked.

"So far, I do not think there is any way of knowing," Elrond sighed, "But I will continue to analyse the dreams. They are our best link to discovering the answers to these questions."

…..

Ginny watched intently as Tran and Belegil sparred. They had been going for at least three minutes- pretty long for one of their battles. Just as Belegil seemed to get the better of Tran, Tran knocked the sword from Belegil's hand and pointed his blade at the elf's neck.

Ginny clapped. This was the first match Tran had won since they had began at midday- it was now approximately one o'clock.

She wasn't sure where Lola and Julia were- some other part of Rivendell, probably exploring it. She stood up to congratulate Tran.

Belegil clapped the younger swordsman on the shoulder, "Well done."

"Yay!" Ginny applauded him, "That was so epic!"

Tran only smiled, and returned his sword to its sheath.

"I think we're done for the day," Belegil decided, "I will see you tomorrow, Tran, Ginny."

He left. Ginny turned to Tran.

"Could you perhaps teach me?" She asked.

"Teach you what?" Tran frowned.

"You know, sword stuff," Ginny waved her hands about in a vague manner.

Tran shrugged, "Probably. I don't think you could lift a sword, though."

"I could!" Ginny said indignantly.

Tran passed her his sword. She tried to lift it out of its sheath, and found that it was easy, but once she got it out she couldn't hold it upright with one hand, and had to use two. Even then, she couldn't manoeuvre it.

"Jeez, you must be strong," She gasped.

"I guess." Tran said uncertainly, pushing up his sleeve. His arm was still thin but the muscles were obvious along it.

"Yeah, well," Ginny shrugged, "I could use a smaller sword. Please!"

Tran raised his eyebrows. "Maybe. I'll see if I can find a short sword."

"Oh my god, thank you!" Ginny exclaimed, putting the sword down and doing a little happy dance.

…..

Lola peeked into the room. Yep, she had followed the directions right. Here he was.

Frodo was lying in bed, asleep, but she knew that he had come out of his trance already. She moved towards the bed tentatively.

She had hoped to find him awake, but he was resting. Gently, she came to sit beside him on the bed, watching his pale face. She felt a wave of sadness come over her.

She could have prevented it. She could have told him. He asked to know. She stifled a sob and moved to grab his hand.

It was comforting to feel it was warm.

When Lola had first read the Hobbit, she was annoyed and upset when Bilbo returned different from how he had left.

Then she read Lord of the Rings, hoping that Frodo would return the same as before. Deep in her heart, she knew it wouldn't happen—but she hoped nonetheless.

But, of course, her hopes were in vain, for Frodo had sailed over the sea. She had always hated that fact, but it was logical. He couldn't live without the ring, and plus the wound on Weathertop…

She could have stopped the wound from happening. Perhaps then he wouldn't be so eager to leave Middle Earth.

She jumped as she felt Frodo's fingers curl around hers, but he did not stir.

"Hello?"

She spun around to see an old man in a grey cloak standing at the doorway. Gandalf.

"Hi…" Lola stammered, releasing Frodo's hand.

"You must be…" Gandalf smiled suddenly, "Lola. Elrond has spoken about your predicament, and I have decided to help."

"Thank you sir," Lola felt her heart skip a beat. It was Gandalf! The one and only Gandalf the Grey! She felt a fangirl scream build up inside her, but pushed it back down.

"You travelled with him, from Bree," He said, "You must have been aggrieved to see him wounded, even though you knew what was coming."

"He asked me his fate," said Lola, wondering why she was telling him. "But I would not tell him."

"You were right to do so," Gandalf said immediately, "You must not dwell on it."

Lola stood up, feeling suddenly shaky and weak. "I will take my leave."

"Until next time, Lola Evans," He said as she walked away, "You bear the knowledge of the fate of us all. It is a heavy load. Many will ask to share in your knowledge. You must refuse them."

But Lola was out of earshot, power walking down the hall. She had to be alone for a while.

…..

**A/N: Aaaand hopefully nobody thought that Frodo and Lola moment was romance, because IT WASN'T. Just makin' it clear.**

**Review! Have your say in where the story goes! Put in your opinion! Be part of the story! **

**Reviews are crunchy. They are good. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm sorry it's so late! It's just… last night I was at this book club thing where we watched Pacific Rim, and then in the morning when I woke I only had two hours till ten, and in that time I had to also had a shower and blow dry my hair and have breakfast and you know… and then I went into town to get a sim card for my new phone, and get P.E. shorts for high school, and stationary, and togs, and then I was icing a cake for my mum's birthday and then I was watching my dad and sister play Mario kart… but I got it done, and here it is!**

**Answers to a few reviews:**

**R4Tmz: Haha, yeah, Ginny brought knives to my birthday… they weren't very sharp though. Shadowfax is my third favourite character, after Pippin and Sam! YAY!**

**Brightpath2: Me and my friends are most definitely insane! About Ginny's plan… good guess, but NO! Teehee… I have something else up my sleeve!**

**Ginny: In the earthquake I was just playing on the wii and then a giant lifted up our house and began shaking it, apparently trying to see how much stuff it could get to fall off my shelves. I dived beside the couch. Me and my sister spent the next twenty minutes under the table. And you know my lego dwarves and Fellowship? They didn't survive. R.I.P Thorin. (BTW I tried ringing you at home, went to answer phone, and then at your dads- went to answer phone.) **

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER.**

…..

[25th October, T.A. 3018]

"There is no doubt left in my mind," Elrond stated calmly, "That the elderly man in your dream was speaking Westron, and that you began to understand him in that moment. We know now that the placement into Middle Earth- or the sending back in time, as it may be- was completely deliberate. The question is, why?"

They were back in Elrond's quarters, discussing the issue. This time Gandalf accompanied Elrond.

"But there is also the question- who was the man?" Gandalf's brow was furrowed.

"Is that important?" Ginny asked.

"It could be," Elrond told her.

Lola's eyes suddenly grew wide, and she gave out a little cry of excitement. They all turned to her.

"I have been thinking about it for a long time now," Lola babbled, "Who the old man was, and I think I just got it!"

"Who?" Julia asked.

"The Professor himself!" Lola blurted.

"The Professor? Who's the Professor?" Ginny frowned.

Lola sighed in annoyance. "John Ronald Reuel Tolkien came to us in a dream and spoke to us in Westron."

"And then nearly murdered me," Ginny added.

There was silence. Not a sound met the air for at least a minute.

…..

"I cannot believe it was Tolkien in that dream!" Ginny exclaimed.

It was early evening, and Ginny's first lesson in swordplay. Tran handed her a short sword.

"Found one," He said. It was quite light, and no quite the length of Ginny's arm.

"It's a hobbit sword!" Ginny chortled, taking it and pulling it out of its sheath. It was definitely light enough for her to wield.

Tran pulled his own sword from his sheath. "Well… I'm really not sure where to start…"

"How about telling me how to hold it?" Ginny suggested.

"Okay," Tran agreed, and began to explain. Ginny watched his eyes light up as he spoke. It was evident how passionate he was about the subject.

Eventually Ginny got the gist of how to hold the sword- both one handed and two handed. She played around a bit, swinging it back and forth. Tran backed away.

"What now…?" He wondered. "Um… I'll teach you how to swing it."

So the rest of the lesson was spent trying to teach Ginny not to kill anything- which, simple as it sounds, was a daunting task for Tran.

"Don't grip so tight," He took her hand and loosened the sword, "Hold it firmly, but give yourself freedom to move."

"Kay," Ginny nodded, rearranging the hilt in her hand. The 'sword stuff' was surprisingly difficult.

"Try swinging again," Tran stood back.

So Ginny swung the sword around for a bit, and found it was now easier to do so.

"Well, that's half an hour gone," Tran sheathed his sword.

"Really?" Ginny said incredulously.

"Yeah," Tran nodded, "Time to end now."

"When should we have the next lesson?" Ginny asked, sheathing her sword too.

"Tomorrow?" Tran suggested.

"Same place?" Ginny picked up her sword, now sheathed.

"Yeah," Tran grinned, "At the same time."

"Thanks so much," Ginny beamed, and her eyes were shining.

"You're welcome," Tran smiled back.

And they departed their separate ways.

…

"Where the hell are they?" Lola let out an exasperated sigh.

She and Julia were searching for Tran and Ginny—and so far their search was in vain.

"And now I think we're lost," Julia sighed too, "Oh, crud."

Suddenly, they heard voices, and music, and they walked towards the sound. They followed it down the hall in into a courtyard.

The courtyard was full of elves, eating and drinking and laughing. Music was playing, and general merriment was rippling through the crowd.

Nobody even looked up as the two women entered cautiously.

"Are we like, gatecrashing, or is it a free-for-all sort of thing?" Lola asked Julia.

"Dunno, but— oh, look, there's Pippin!"

That there was. Pippin was bustling between the legs of the elves, holding two goblets of some sort of alcoholic brew.

"We should ask him," Lola decided, pushing through the crowd too.

Julia followed, and soon they were both standing just behind the hobbit.

"Hey, Pip." Lola tapped him on the shoulder. He swung around to face them, nearly spilling the contents of the goblets.

"Oh! Hi Lola, Julia," He greeted them.

"Juts wondering, are we allowed to be here, or is this exclusive…?" Lola asked.

"You're allowed. I was just bringing these to Frodo and Sam. Come on!" Pippin gestured for them to come with him, so they did.

They were lead to a small, hobbit-sized table, seated at which were the other three hobbits.

"Hullo Lola! Hullo Julia!" Sam waved to them as they approached.

There were no more seats, so the two women simply knelt beside the table.

"Hi," Lola grinned, "How are you liking Rivendell?"

"It's very pleasant here," Merry said, "But it's nothing at all like home. I wouldn't want to live here permanently."

"Good food though," Pippin added, "And enough of it."

"The people are nice enough," Sam thought for a moment, "Though some of them are a bit distant, if you get what I'm saying."

Lola nodded. To her, elves had always seemed like one-dimensional characters.

Frodo had not spoken yet, and wouldn't meet her eyes. Lola didn't attempt to make conversation with him.

…..

[26th October, T.A. 3018]

"Now that we can assume you were placed here deliberately," Elrond began, "I have been able to come up with a theory about the remainder of the dream,"

The foursome looked at him expectantly.

"Each of the four dreams contains a fear," Elrond continued, "For Julia- the fear of being devoured. For Ginny- the fear of being alone. For Lola- the fear of being overpowered. And for Tran- the fear of departing the world achieving little. Why these fears were placed in front of you, I do not—"

"They were to test us," Lola suddenly spoke, "Whoever put us here meant for us to confront our greatest fear, to see if we could endure it."

There was silence, and then Gandalf said, "To see if you could endure it, why? Perhaps because you were placed in this world to endure something far more powerful."

"Perhaps," Elrond said thoughtfully, "That would be logical."

"So we were put here for a reason, and the reason would test  
us," Ginny frowned, "That doesn't make much sense. What reason could there be?"

"I do not know," Elrond sighed, "And there is not much more to go from in these dreams. We have exhausted them."

"In that case, we need to stop and breathe for a moment," Gandalf said, "We shall not dwell on it for the remainder of the day. Resume tomorrow when our minds are cleansed."

Elrond agreed solemnly, "That would be wise." And he dismissed them.

…..

There was a tree. Just a tree, standing solemnly in a world of white.

There was nothing special about it, the tree. It was green; its leaves were elegantly shaped ovals, pointed at the end.

They grew in clumps about the tree. Each of the clumps was slightly different, had different shapes and shades of beryl. One clump might have squatter leaves, while another might be more elongated.

Yet they were all on the same tree.

The tree itself, the wood, was not special, not even in the slightest bit attractive. It was level enough, but there were patches where the surface seemed rough, and there the leaves grew sparsely.

The tree by all means was not old- rather; it was in the late stages of development. It was reasonably tall, standing about a metre and a half, but it was not very strong. The trunk was only ten centimetres thick, and the branches, on average, half of that.

It wasn't as if there was anything to harm it, though. Nothing else stood in the world of white- or perhaps there was, but she could not see it.

She, being knowledge bearer and reason seeker and time traveller and foreigner. She had also been gifted (by one person) the name doll, but that was unknown to her.

The tree seemed to her, despite its weakness, a refuge- though she didn't quite grasp that it was actually there. It could have been a mirage. Or she could have been dreaming.

She moved towards it, but she stopped, for some reason. She felt an urge to back away, but it was not coming from inside her, but from some type of outside feeling, as if her brain was still communicating with the rest of the body, but it was sitting on the floor. Startled by this thought, she stood back a little.

Despite its plainness, the tree had no lack of charm. It seemed to shine, just _because_ of its plainness- it was solid, it was normal, it was safe. One felt drawn to it because of this.

It was a tree. Just a tree, standing solemnly in a world of white.

She saw a moment, out of the corner of her eye. She was surprised to see a black dot crawling across the ground.

Well, dots don't exactly crawl- but this one had that movement. At a first glance it was flat, but after a closer look it seemed to hold a three dimensional shape. It seemed to be made from some gelatinous substance, and it did crawl, somewhat. It was no bigger than a pea.

It was heading for the tree, but it was so small and insignificant that one didn't think for a second it could possibly harm it. So she did nothing.

She watched it for a while, slightly repulsed but mostly fascinated. It soon reached the tree, and began to climb up it.

But then a curious thing happened- it began to multiply. Soon there were two, then four, and then eight- and then she lost count. As they moved up the tree something else happened. They didn't devour the tree, but they seemed to suck something from it- it didn't seem as bright.

She watched, in shock as they moved towards the leaves. As they reached them the leaves seemed to lose their colour. Slowly, they began to fade, and then they fell onto the ground.

The tree was dying- well, the leaves were dying, and the tree was dulling. Soon every last leaf had been drained of life, and the tree was more or less completely covered in the black dots.

But slowly, even those began to fade. They disintegrated into thin air, leaving the tree bare and dilapidated.

She rushed over to the tree. It was cold to the touch. She ran her hands all over it, trying to find some kind of bud. There were none- and even if one came to be in the future, it would never sprout the same.

She fell to her knees, and stared blankly at the graves of the leaves.

It had been a tree. Just a tree, standing solemnly in a world of white.

Now it was a wasteland.

…..

[27th October, T.A. 3018]

"It was a tree, you say?"

Julia nodded. "A tree. And then… it got sick."

Elrond frowned. "This seemed like an important dream. It may be the answer to all of our questions."

There was silence. Elrond spoke again.

"I have many troubles swaying my mind at the moment, and this gives me hope that I can find the answers." He turned away from them, staring out across his balcony.

"We will try our best to figure it out too, Elrond," Ginny told him, "I do not like to lay more issues on your mind."

But Elrond did not say anything. They realized they had been dismissed, and made their way out of his room.

…..

"Well, I'm going to see the hobbits," Lola announced.

"I'll come," Julia decided.

"I'm gonna go explore Rivendell," Ginny said.

"I'll come too," said Tran, a little to hastily.

Lola raised her eyebrows. "Ok guys. See ya later."

They went their separate ways. Tran and Ginny made for the courtyard in which they had practiced last time.

"Have your sword?" Tran asked.

"Under my dress," Ginny nodded.

There had been some sort of unspoken agreement between them that they didn't tell the other two. They didn't know why, but it was always there.

It was their secret.

…..

"Ok, so today I'll teach you some basic stances that are kinda helpful in sword fighting," Tran unsheathed his sword and gestured for Ginny to do the same.

It was a little awkward for Ginny to have to lift her skirt right up to where her sword was hanging on a belt around her waist. Tran had to look away, but she managed it.

"First of all, the most basic stance- the one me and Belegil start off every sparring match with, you know?" And he was off, explaining to Ginny to keep her legs in line with her hips and hold the hilt just at her stomach…

Tran was a reluctant teacher- he was a reserved person. But when he talked about swordplay, Ginny could see his eyes light up once more. He knew so much, and he relished in teaching her that knowledge.

Back in their intermediate years, whenever the foursome had to pair up in class, it was another unspoken agreement that Julia and Lola would go together, and Ginny and Tran would pair up. That was just the way it was. Ginny and Tran had known each other well, but found the knowledge was weak now.

They had changed. They had to relearn each other. Sometimes it was difficult to speak to each other, when neither of them could think of what to say.

Ginny held her head high as she fumbled into the stance Tran had described and exampled. He walked around her, urging her to lift her hands, to move a foot in, but overall did not try to be a perfectionist.

Ginny followed his commands obediently, wanting to do her absolute best at what she had always wanted to do. This was her chance to shine.

Tran knew this, and tried as best as he could to help as much as he could with his poor teaching skills.

Ginny had learned much in the single session. She grinned, sheathing her sword, and thanked him.

They walked away.

They were beginning to relearn each other, they knew this.

What they didn't know was—they were relearning each other in a different way.

…..

**A/N: That was a very painful chapter to write, and I'm not sure why. Oh well. I better put this one up and start on the next one so I don't get in the same situation tomorrow.**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: On time this time! Yes! **

**Just have a bit of a growl, sorry: I am a little fed up. You see, I write all day, every day, sometimes for solid hours at a time, and update decent sized chapter daily- and there are only three people who consistently review. Thank you profusely to R4Tmz, Brightpath2, and Ginny (who is my friend and a little bit biased). It is people like you who keep this story going. If it weren't for you it wouldn't be here- it would sitting at the bottom of my hard drive getting dusty. As for everyone else… it's not difficult, ya know? Two minutes. I review every single fanfic I read. It's not hard. Honestly.**

**Answers to some reviews! (Namely R4Tmz, Brightpath2 and Ginny)**

**R4Tmz: My top eight are Pippin, Sam, Shadowfax, Merry, Eowyn, Treebeard, Gimli (whom I affectionately termed 'Gimmers') and Frodo. Thanks for saying all that stuff about me taking a break- that was really nice. If I don't feel like writing then a usually push myself to, but I might take a break once in a while. :) There will be some Aragorn/Arwen stuff next chapter- thanks for the idea!**

**Brightpath2: Haha! I'm glad you liked the chapter, and Ginny/Tran… :D Also, how's the cover going…?**

**Ginny: Whoa. You ****_are_**** excited about my new phone, aren't you…**

**CHAPTER TIME.**

…..

[28th October, T.A. 3018]

Lola did not know why she was pursuing him. She didn't even know what she would say. However, the one thing on her mind was 'where is Frodo Baggins' and she was searching for him.

She had found his room, but he wasn't in there. So now she was wandering aimlessly, hoping she would by chance meet up with him. That tended to happen.

And- after about twenty minutes of aimless walking- she caught sight of a figure standing at a balcony.

She moved closer and saw it was Frodo, staring across at the sky. She watched him for a while, before beginning to walk slowly towards him, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.

"Don't bother apologizing."

Lola jumped.

Frodo turned around, and repeated: "Don't bother apologizing."

Lola gaped, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Frodo approached her calmly. "You visited my bed four days ago. You held my hand."

"How did you—"

"I had a dream, and felt your hand. You were going to say sorry, if I was awake, but what you don't realize is- there is nothing to apologize for."

Lola swallowed, "I should have warned you—"

"You could have done nothing," Frodo argued, "They urged me- the wraiths- they were the ones who told me to put on the ring. I answered to them, not myself."

"You didn't speak to me," Lola said quietly.

"You didn't speak to _me_," Frodo replied.

There was silence. Lola didn't know what to say.

"I'm going to Mordor, Lola," Frodo sighed, "With Sam."

Lola looked incredulous. "The Council of Elrond has been held?"

"Not three days ago," Frodo confirmed, "I will go to Mordor to the mountain of fire and cast the ring deep within it. You knew this?"

"Yes," Lola nodded.

"I will not ask you whether I shall succeed," Frodo shut his eyes for a moment, and opened them, "For you wish not to be treated like a fortune teller- and if I knew I would either despair or become overly confident. I understand now."

Lola nodded again. "I must not speak to you of such things."

Frodo said nothing.

…..

"The Council of Elrond has been held!" Lola threw her hands up n the air.

The foursome were sitting in Julia's room, just talking. Lola was recounting her discussion with Frodo.

"That means we can't join the Fellowship," Julia said.

"No, because in the book the Fellowship wasn't formed at the Council of Elrond," Lola informed her, "But we'd already ruled that out anyway."

"What if…" said Ginny, "We were to follow the Fellowship."

Everyone went quiet.

"But Elrond would stop us," Lola contradicted.

"Not if we had an excuse for going out of Rivendell," Ginny began to grin, "We could tell Elrond that Tran was escorting us back to Bree, and just go round."

"But we need Elrond to figure out the answers to our questions," Lola argued.

"We need to finish before the Fellowship leaves," Ginny said after a long pause, "Elrond's pretty far into it already."

"There's no guarantee we will," Lola sighed.

"Well then, we can tell Elrond we're going back to Bree, and if he needs to speak to us, send Tran."

"But we won't be in Bree."

"This isn't about us wanting to know the answers—it's about us leaving when Elrond isn't finished. It's about fooling Elrond." Ginny gave Lola a sidelong glance. Lola said nothing.

"Good plan, I guess," Julia broke the silence.

"Yeah," Lola agreed.

"Will we do it then?" Ginny asked.

"Let's just see how it goes," Lola sighed.

…..

"I think I may have it," Elrond said as they stood in his study.

They had discussed the dream extensively between themselves, and to no avail. The answer escaped them.

"The dot that Julia saw represents disease," Elrond explained, "But the tree I have thought about long and hard. My first thought was that it represented a person, a single living organism, but the fact that the trunk did not die made me rethink."

Julia began to see where he was going. "The leaves were in clumps, and within these they had a theme—"

"Yes," Elrond nodded, "This was not a single person- the leaves lived on the trunk- they were not a part of it."

"Some clumps seemed more connected than others," Julia recounted thoughtfully.

"What are you getting at?" Lola frowned.

"So the tree couldn't represent a single person." Elrond continued, "So I considered some other options, but none fit. But then there was one that made sense."

Realization spread across Ginny's face. "I think I know what you're getting at."

"The leaves were people," Elrond nodded.

"People? How do you know that?" Lola tested.

"They were not one with the tree- they lived on it. They were the only things the disease attacked." Elrond explained.

"And they grew in clumps," Julia added.

"Yes," Elrond said, "They grew in clumps- and each of the clumps were different. We could interpret that meant different races or cultures."

"Oh!" Lola exclaimed, "And the tree represented a world, an earth!"

"Or Middle Earth," Julia said.

"Yes," Elrond smiled, "And then we can safely assume that the 'destruction' you explained when you figured out Arda was once your world was not a destruction as such- but a mass wipe-out."

"You mean… disease destroyed everyone on Arda?" Lola said faintly.

"Exactly what I mean," Elrond nodded.

"But what about Valinor?" She asked.

"It would still be there," Elrond said, "Unseen, inaccessible—but still there."

"Yeah, so why didn't they just build it back up again?" Lola argued.

"Perhaps they did," Elrond said thoughtfully, "But slowly, and in a different way."

"Elrond," Ginny stated, "If we are to believe this, we are to cast away both religion and scientific fact."

"I don't think any of us are religious…" Lola turned to look at the other two. Julia had gone to a catholic school but was not especially religious. Ginny had been brought up Christian but at twelve had begun to question it. Meanwhile, Lola was not religious in any way and Tran was not either.

"Well, scientific fact then," Ginny said, "To question science is to put what our society is built on off balance."

"To stop asking questions is to forget who we are entirely." Lola argued.

There was silence, then Ginny said: "True."

"It is only a theory," Elrond said calmly, "We have only guessed from Julia's dreams."

"Why is it Julia who's having the dreams?" Tran asked.

"I do not know," Elrond sighed, "And I will not pause to consider it while we are so close to answering the main question."

"I'm just special," Julia joked. Lola rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," Elrond stood up, "You may take your leave—Tran, stay behind, I would like to speak to you."

The three women left. Elrond turned to Tran.

"You wanted me, sir?" Tran frowned.

"Yes," Elrond said, walking to his balcony, "I have considered long about this," Elrond turned to him, "But I think you could be the right fit,"

Tran frowned again. What did he mean?

"Yes," Elrond looked him up and down, "You would do well—of course, I need your permission…"

And what Elrond said next shocked Tran to the core.

…..

"What did Elrond want you about?"

Tran looked at Ginny, wondering whether to tell her. "I'll tell all three of you later."

Ginny nodded, unsheathing her sword. They were having the third lesson—in the same place as last time.

They continued practicing the stances. Tran knew they were the key to a good foundation in sword fighting.

Tran numbered off the stances and called out numbers in random order. Ginny had to get into the position as fast as she could.

"Three! One! Five!"

Ginny was doing well, but was still a little slow getting into position. Tran continued the exercise until Ginny had gotten to an acceptable speed. By the end Ginny was bright red and hot all over.

"Good!" Tran praised her, "It's just the feet positions that are a little slow, but they're the least important aspect."

"As long as I'm balanced," Ginny wiped sweat from her brow.

The rest of the lesson was spent getting the stances perfect. By the end Ginny was a lot quicker and far more accurate.

Ginny collapsed on the bench, breathing hard. "I didn't know it would be so tiring!"

Tran laughed, "Yeah,"

They spent the next ten minutes discussing the next lesson, which would include more stances (Ginny groaned at this) but a couple of basic moves.

"Ok, see ya," Ginny stood up and began to walk away.

"Ginny!" Tran called, "Forgot your sword!"

Ginny turned around, laughing, "Yes! I knew that!"

Tran held it out to her. Ginny took it, but as she did, their fingers brushed ever so slightly.

It felt so weird that Ginny froze. Tran was looked down at her, confused at her shocked expression.

She abruptly turned on her heel and rushed out of the courtyard, leaving Tran in her wake, wondering what he had done.

…..

"Elrond asked me to be the eight member of the Fellowship."

There were gasps all around. The foursome sat on Lola's bed.

Tran sighed, "What should I do?"

"Take the opportunity of course—!" Julia exclaimed, but was interrupted by Lola.

"No, you can't," Lola said fiercely, "That would take Merry and Pippin's spots, and change the plot—and then maybe the Fellowship wouldn't succeed!"

"Good point," Ginny agreed with her, "You have to say no."

"Aw, are you sure there's no way? It would be so cool," Julia protested.

"There's no way," Lola said firmly.

"Ok," Tran nodded, not looking at all disappointed, "I'll tell him I don't want to go."

"Anyway, if Ginny's plan works, we'll be going anyway," Lola grinned.

…..

[1st November, T.A. 3018]

She lay in the world of white, staring at the ceiling. She was back.

She sat up, wondering what she was about to face this time.

She was surprised to see, in the distance- a figure. She began to walk towards it.

As she got closer she began to see the figure was not really a figure at all- it did not have any distinguishing features. It was like a mannequin.

Closer she got, and it seemed to her to be floating in mid air. She got even closer and she could see a computer mouse fluttering around it.

_This was getting weird._

Soon she was standing right next to it She attempted to touch it, but an invisible barrier stopped her.

The mouse began to click it at very specific points, and then in between these points, and then on the head of the mannequin was sketched a strangely familiar face.

She was confused, but just watched as the mouse continued to tap the figure. Soon hair appeared, in a ponytail on the head. And then it began detailing clothes, and suddenly she though; _It's me._

It was a digital double.

She looked up and saw another in the distance. She rushed towards it, and saw it was Lola; and the next one was Ginny, and then Tran.

_What does this mean?_

She ran back to her double. The mouse had finished with it, and now there was a little loading sign with the words _Please Wait_ underneath it.

She sat down heavily beside it. It made no sense!

Slowly, the digital double began to become more lifelike- the face seemed less flat, and began to take the correct shape.

Then the loading sign began to change, rapidly, so she could hardly make out the words.

_Processing…_

_Please Wait…_

_Saving Changes…_

_Recalculating Purpose…_

_Adding Purpose…_

_Please Wait…_

_Loading…_

She was mystified. What was going on? What did this mean?

She sat there for ages, watching the figure become more and more like her. It really began to scare her. Meanwhile, the loading sign changed:

_Building Personality…_

_Correcting…_

_Loading…_

_Backing Up…_

The digital double was now like a clone- exactly like her in every aspect. The loading sign disappeared, and a window popped up.

TASK COMPLETE. LIFE FORM ACTIVATED.

…..

**A/N: Review. It's not difficult. You don't need to write pages. Just wanna know what you think. Won't you take two minutes of your day just to make a little girl with big dreams happy?**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: No update yesterday! GASP, the horror! **

**Well, as a result, I did not have to rush, I am very happy with this chapter, and this chapter is one page longer than usual!**

**THANK YOU MY AMAZING REVIEWERS! YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! (Can't say I understood most of your first one, Lucus, though…) We are at 100 reviews! THAT IS AMAZING! I am very, very happy, although most of them are Ginny-the-biased, but that is very okay. :)**

**Oh, and R4Tmz/Ginny, I could not put up a message because you are not allowed to post authors notes as chapters. That's why last time you ended up with that nasty cliffhanger. :)**

**Brightpath2: Glad the cover is doing well, and glad you enjoyed the chapter! (Including the dream, which was actually the easiest dream to write…)**

**Ginny: I need to give you my phone number, don't I, so you can do unicorn random stuff there instead of here… I'd call you except that would be like three days in a row and I feel bad. If ya want the number, just call. :)**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

…..

[2nd November, T.A. 3018]

"What do you mean?" Elrond frowned.

The foursome stood—yet again—in Elrond's study, attempting to explain Julia's dream.

"It was a digital double of myself—"

"What is a digital double?"

"Well, it was… Ginny, help me explain."

Ginny screwed up her face. "Um… it was a computer generated person—"

"What is a computer?"

Ginny looked to Lola for help.

"Um… what _is_ a computer?" Lola laughed.

"A box…" Tran tried, "That you can… do lots of stuff on. And there's this thing called the Internet, and you know…"

"No," Elrond shook his head, "I do not understand."

"I don't think we can explain it," Lola sighed, "Maybe we'll have to work out this one on our own,"

"I think I might go now," Julia suddenly said, "I feel a little bit queasy,"

They turned to her. She did look a bit pale.

"Like, how?" Lola asked.

"Like, I feel really tired, even though I had a good sleep. And a bit shaky and sick." Julia explained, "I might go have a lie down."

Elrond looked grim, "I hope it's not the strain,"

The four looked at each other, confused.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"I have pondered also about why Julia has been having these dreams," Elrond told them, "And I have a theory."

"Yes?" Ginny asked as Elrond paused.

"My theory is that she is being stretched," Elrond said, "That half of her conscious self is here, a quarter is still in your world—and the other quarter is stretched across the rift between the time frames. I was afraid it would begin to take its toll."

Julia looked quite shocked. "What should I do?"

"You are still holding onto your life back in your time," Elrond told her, "You must let go."

"But what about the dreams?" Ginny asked.

"Julia's wellbeing comes first," Elrond said firmly, "We have collected much information already."

…

"What could it mean?" Ginny put the question out there as they walked away from Elrond's quarters.

"Dunno… I'll see you guys later, I'm going to lie down," Julia made a turn towards her room.

"See ya…" Lola waved, "Now, what's the question we want to answer—that's where we need to start."

"What _is_ the question?" Tran frowned.

"The question is either, 'Why are we here?' or 'Why us?'" Ginny told them.

"Well, then, what could this dream be telling us? Digital doubles were being made of all four of us. At the end of the dream a window popped up saying 'Life form activated' or something." Lola reminded them, "These are possibly the most important details."

"What about the signs that kept popping up on the loading sign?" Ginny added, "Julia only remembered a couple. What were they again?"

"_Recalculating Purpose_ and _Please Wait_," Tran remembered.

"Purpose? That comes back to the fact Elrond thinks we have a purpose," Lola's brow was furrowed, and she was deep in thought, "So then… we are actually just clones of ourselves?"

"No, that would be too weird," Tran wrinkled up his nose.

"Clones probably wouldn't think that way, anyway," Ginny said.

"Right, so we are ourselves," Lola decided, "And we do have a purpose. So- whelp- what was the dream saying?"

There was silence as they walked.

"Dunno," Ginny finally said, "Perhaps the dream was just telling us we were designed specifically for the purpose Elrond is talking about?"

More silence. Lola turned to her ginger friend.

"Ginny, you are a _genius_," She said.

…..

Julia collapsed on her bed, feeling absolutely exhausted and completely terrified by what Elrond had said. Come to think of it, she felt a little stretched, like she was trying to keep everything together but wasn't quite managing it.

She closed her eyes. All she wanted to do was sleep. She had a headache, and her stomach felt queasy, but she still managed to drift off…

She knew this because when she sat up again, the world was white. This time, however, it was so bright her eyes began to throb.

It was silent. She stood up, and tentatively walked forward. Then a voice met her ears.

It was a huge, commanding, bellowing voice. She could not tell if it belonged to a man or woman.

_"You must tell them,"_

These words seemed to sting. She knelt over, closing her eyes—and when she opened them images flashed past her eyes.

_Tree. Baby. Fire. Hourglass. Map._

'You must tell them' still resonated in her ears. Then she saw it.

It was an image of a land, a peaceful and tranquil land. It reminded her eerily of the Shire somehow—it was green and grassy and beautiful.

She tried to reach out but she could not move. Over the brow of a hill came a great wave, mighty and dangerous and beautiful and terrible. It rolled over, roaring and spitting—and it swallowed the land whole.

She screamed, still stuck to her spot. Then the image faded and the voice came again.

_"You must tell them,"_

She was breathing heavily, shaking and sweating but cold at the same time. She was so exhausted but she could only sit there and cry in great shuddery gasps.

Voices flashed through her mind.

_"You mean… disease destroyed everyone on Arda…"_

_"She is stretched across the rift between time frames…"_

_"But what about Valinor…"_

_ "We are to cast away both religion and scientific fact…"_

_"You must tell them…"_

_"Why didn't they just build it back up…"_

_"Perhaps they did…"_

_"Perhaps they did…"_

_"Perhaps they did… but… in a different way…"_

But then, she heard a voice she had never heard before, saying something she had never heard either.

_"Humans have survived because we stood up against all odds… we clambered to the top, step by step, and it was an arduous climb but we got there—we now rule the world, we are unstoppable… we survived because we learnt to defy nature, to use our power and knowledge to the fullest extent—and we adapted and grew and did whatever it took to succeed… to progress…"_

_"We did, we would, and we still will keep going to the obliteration of the world!"_

The ground began to rumble. She screamed again, sobbing and gasping and retching because the pain was becoming too great. She felt as though she was being pulled form one side to the other, and she would simply break in two…

Then she heard a voice—and familiar voice, and it calmed her somewhat.

_"Come back Julia. Please wake up."_

"Phillip?" She whispered.

_"Please come back,"_ Phillip's voice said.

"I…" Julia began, and felt a tingling sensation at her hand, "I…"

…..

Phillip stood by Julia's bedside, stroking her palm.

"Come back," He whispered, "Julia, please wake up!"

He could not live without her. He needed her. His heart throbbed in his chest, and he felt like screaming.

"Goddammit, Julia!" He cursed, "Please come back!"

Then her fingers moved to clutch his hand.

He gaped, uncomprehending.

And then her lips began to move.

"What?" Phillip squeezed her hand frantically, eyes wide, "Say it!"

"I…" She croaked, without opening her eyes, "I…"

Phillip took a sharp breath. "Yes? Julia! Come back!"

"I… Phillip…" She took a breath. His lover. His doll. "I… can't."

Phillip felt like a truck had just hit him. "Why?" He whispered, tears brimming in his eyes.

"They're telling me to let go…" She whispered.

And then, suddenly, her hand felt cold. Phillip frantically squeezed it, feeling the life drain away. "NO!"

But then something strange happened. She began to fade into thin air—first her hand became ghostly pale, and then the rest of her being; and then she began to disappear.

Phillip could only look on, completely terrified and confused and angry and totally grief-stricken, until she was no longer there.

The bed was empty. Phillip sank back onto his hunches, breathing heavily, eyes wide and bloodshot. He did not know what to think.

She was gone—his lover, his doll was gone. He had no idea how it had happened—why it had happened—he only knew he now had to live without her.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, he realized he could not live without her.

He took another deep breath and screamed, in anguish and grief and confusion as complete insanity took him.

Two days later, Phillip Frederick Lasky was admitted to a mental hospital.

…..

[3rd November, T.A. 3018]

It was about six o'clock in the morning, and Tran and Ginny were up sword training.

Ginny had had to drag Tran out of bed ten minutes previously, so they could make their way to the courtyard in the morning light. Tran had protested, but had picked up his sword and followed nonetheless. They had decided morning was a better time than midday, because it wasn't as warm.

Ginny had now been training for a week and a bit, and was already showing signs of a promising swordswoman. She was accurate and—after a bit of practice—fast. Combined with her enthusiasm, she would be a competent fighter one day.

They began the lesson with the stances drill—Tran would shout out numbers and Ginny would jump into the stances.

The morning was cool but Ginny was already sweating as the exercise ended. She gave Tran a look as if to say, "So, what next?"

Tran had already taught Ginny some key moves, of which he had numbered off as well. They began an exercise they had devised last time—Tran would say a number, do a move, and Ginny would have to use the move with that number to block him. It was a far more enjoyable drill than the last, but was more difficult.

They did that exercise for a lot longer than the last, too. Over time, Ginny became quite fast, and after half an hour, could do the block even before Tran said the number.

Ginny collapsed onto the bench and wiped sweat off her brow. She felt her cheeks, knowing they were flaming red.

"Good lesson," Tran praised her, sheathing his sword, "Next time I'll teach you new moves,"

"Is it over?" Ginny asked. Tran nodded. "Jeez, that went quick."

Tran laughed, "Yeah. Until next time, I guess."

…..

[5th November, T.A. 3018]

It was two days since the four had told their discoveries to Elrond.

Elrond had been thinking for a while. It was the most puzzling dream yet, he said. And his mind was also on other matters…

But today he had summoned them to his study for a discussion.

"This dream confused me greatly," Elrond began, "Especially the words that Julia heard spoken—'You must tell them'. However, after thinking long and hard I have a theory that does not quite tie in with the rest of the dreams—but I would like to share it with you. Firstly, the speech that Julia heard spoken—would you repeat it?"

Julia took a breath. The speech had been so firmly imprinted on her mind; she remembered it almost word for word.

"Humans have survived because we stood up against all odds, we clambered to the top, and it was an arduous climb but we got there, and we now rule the world, we survived because we learnt to defy nature, to use our knowledge to the fullest extent—and we adapted and grew and did whatever it took to progress…we did, we would, and we still will keep going to the obliteration of the world," She recited.

"Combined with what you told me yesterday about how in your 'earth' humans are, without meaning to, destroying the world… it could mean that the wave you saw rolling over the green hills was a metaphor for industry." Elrond was not longer looking at them, but in the distance,

"Tolkien claimed to have a dream about a wave devouring countryside regularly," Lola added.

Elrond ignored her for the moment and continued, "Which could tie in with why you are here. Perhaps the destruction of Middle Earth was industry, not disease."

"But how could the black dot represent industry?" Lola blurted.

"That is why it doesn't quite tie in," Elrond sighed, "Try as I might, I cannot seem to understand."

"How could industry destroy the world, anyway?" Julia asked.

"The same way it is destroying ours," Ginny suggested.

"Yes, but physically, how?" said Julia.

"Dunno," Lola shrugged, "But perhaps industry took over the world—which caused something else to destroy it…"

"And we're here to…?" Ginny sighed, "These questions really, really annoying me."

"Industry doesn't cause physical disease—well, perhaps, but not serious enough to wipe out an entire world population," Lola referred back to the tree dream.

"We must not puzzle too long over this," Elrond suddenly said, "Go now, and rest your minds. We try again another day."

…..

[22nd December, T.A. 3018]

"Why are we doing this again?" Julia asked uneasily.

The foursome was in her room, a collection of items laid before them.

In the last two months, no light had been shed on the subject that was Julia's dream. They had told Elrond that Tran would escort them back to Bree, and that he could send Tran if ever he had a need for them, or if he ever found the answer. Elrond had agreed reluctantly.

Of course, their secret plan was to follow the Fellowship—a subject Tran had been studying endlessly. He had poured over old maps until he was certain he knew how far east and south they would have to go, and how much time it would take them.

"What would you rather be doing?" Lola snorted, "Would you like to stay here, in Rivendell, the place where nothing ever happens? Or would you like to go back to Bree and work your ass off in a stuffy inn?"

"We're doing it because we want to have this adventure," Ginny translated for Julia.

"Have we got everything we will need?" Julia asked.

Tran looked at the items. "Maps… packs… a change of clothes each… a compass… weapons… and we'll be getting supplies in the morning."

"Weapons?" Lola asked incredulously, pulling back a piece of cloth that had been hiding them—two short swords. "What the…? There's only two, anyway!"

"Ginny has hers already," Tran said hastily, wondering whether to tell them she had been having lessons already. He decided against it.

"Well, smart idea, I guess," Lola said, putting the cloth back.

"Why does Ginny have hers already?" Julia asked.

Tran opened his mouth to talk about the lessons but Ginny spoke first.

"I came in while he was putting this stuff together, and asked if I could keep mine," She explained.

Julia seemed to accept the excuse, and nodded.

"So, we set off tomorrow?" Lola changed the subject.

"Yeah—we'll go approximately ten miles east, and then four south, and then another ten west. The average person walks at 4 miles per hour—and although we can't keep up that speed for four miles straight, we'll have more then enough time with two days." Tran explained.

"Great!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Well, here goes bucket list item number five!" Lola joked, standing up. "Good night!"

They needed to get a good nights rest- because in the morning, the foursome would be setting off on the adventure of a lifetime.

…..

**A/N: AHHHHH! OMG! THE ADVENTURE! THE DRAMA! THE EXCITEMENT!**

**Review and I'll give you a (virtual) OC action figure! They come in Ginny, Tran, Lola, and Julia—as well as limited stock items such as Belegil, Phillip, Martha (ya know… the lady who gave them dresses in Bree) and Nimaelin! :)**

**COLLECT THEM ALL! :D :D :D**

**REVIEW!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello my beautiful readers! 'Tis chapter sixteen! The adventure begins! Admittedly, most of the chapter is taken up by the flashback scene, which is a continuation of the first flashback (the Gully flashback). Oh well!**

**A Tran action figure to all those who reviewed the last chapter! :) COLLECT THEM ALL! This chapter's action figure is GINNY! :D Review this chapter to get a (virtual) Ginny action figure! Display it proudly on your profile! **

**Brightpath2: Glad the cover is doing well, and glad ya'll like Ginny and Tran.**

**Anyway, enough of my craziness. Chapter time!**

…..

[12th October 2013]

Continuation of Gully Flashback

"Aw, I hate this part!" Julia gave out an exasperated sigh. "This is the worst part in the whole thing!"

They were now fully inside the gorse—Lola had found a tunnel through the gorse down into a dry creek bed. She was standing at the entrance to the tunnel.

"Ah, towel," Lola called. Ginny, who was holding the bag, passed her the towel.

"Can we fold it in half so the pricks don't come through?" Julia asked, looking at the tunnel warily.

"There aren't any pricks on the ground," Lola told her.

"Yes there are!" Julia protested.

"No there aren't, there's just like, mud," Lola straightened the towel out and began to delicate process of finding her way through the tunnel without getting poked.

"There are!" Julia cried.

"Oh my god, fine—OW, I just got pricked," Lola sighed.

Ginny exploded into fits of laughter, "That's ironic—'There's not many pricks, owww, I just got pricked!'"

"No, I just got pricked in the face!" Lola said, pushing a branch back, wincing.

"Ooh…" Ginny cringed.

"Haha, yeah…" Lola agreed.

"Well that's still saying, 'there aren't many pricks'…" Julia began.

"I meant on the ground," Lola sighed, pushing back another branch.

"Oh my god, this is like, a perfect seat, I'm gonna sit here and watch everyone go down and get pricked!" Julia was sitting on a part of the ground that looked very much like a platform.

"Oh, ow, I just stabbed my butt!" Tran cried.

"OWWWW!" Julia let out an ear-piercing shriek as she got pricked.

Everyone fell silent, waiting for the verdict—but Julia simply said, "It's okay."

Lola finally managed to get down through the tunnel, followed closely by Tran.

"Are you sure the pricks won't come through?" Julia asked suspiciously, staring at the towel.

"No, I just slid down it," Lola explained, "But there are pricks down here where I'm just sitting right now and I just got poked in the ass—OW!"

"This is why I don't trust you guys! You just take me into a gorse filled, claustrophobic gully!" Ginny exclaimed, waving her arms about.

"I'm a little bit worried actually," Julia eyed up the tunnel, "I'm a little bit, um, freaked out…"

"Lola, you know when you sometimes say, 'Oh, I think I'm the only sane one here,'?" Ginny called.

"Yeah?" Lola asked, trying to pick some gorse out of her hair.

"Yeah, well, I think I'm the only sane one here," Ginny announced.

"Ow ow ow," Tran attempted to find a place to stand that didn't have gorse in it.

"Ah, I just touched a mushroom, that's disgusting…" Lola sighed.

"A mushroom?" Julia asked, half in and half out of the tunnel.

"Yeah,"

"Oh that is so the grossest thing! That's so gonna make the Guinness World Records!"

"Did it explode?" Ginny asked.

"What, no." Lola replied.

"Did it have green stuff in it?"

"No,"

"Ok, that's alright," Ginny decided.

"Ow!" Tran cried.

"If you just go really quickly, then you won't feel a thing," Lola advised Julia.

"Ginny?" Tran called, asking if the ginger was coming.

"Nah," Ginny said.

"Ginny!"

"Nope. Denied." Ginny repeated firmly.

"No Ginny! Just do what I'm doing, and it's really good." Julia protested.

"But she's claustrophobic," Lola reasoned.

"Hand?" Julia asked, holding out her hand.

Tran and Lola, mishearing her, began to chuckle. "And!"

"I said, hand," Julia sighed exasperatedly.

"Oh," Tran realized. Lola held out her hand to help Julia down.

Tran stumbled a little, and put out his hand to steady himself.

"Hey, that's the mushroom I touched," Lola pointed to a brown blob sitting next to Tran's hand.

Tran let out a not-so-manly shriek and jumped back. Lola cracked up laughing.

"Tran!" She said through her laughter.

"What did he say?" Asked Ginny, who was still sitting on the bank leading to the tunnel.

"He just screamed. Like a girl." Lola giggled.

"Ha ha! LOL!" Ginny laughed.

"Aw, can we go back up again?" Julia asked, now all three of them were standing in the creek bed.

"Oh, that was really pointless then," Lola shrugged.

"But I wanna go down…" Tran said sadly.

"Ok, we'll go down then…" Julia sighed, "Ginny, are you coming?"

"Nah, I might just go the other way and meet you guys down there," Ginny decided.

"Ok," Lola and Tran said in unison.

…..

"Lola!" Julia cried, as she attempted to slide down the next tunnel, leading away from the creek bed, "My dignity is ruined by the gorse!"

"Well, that sucks," Lola was next in line.

"What does dignity mean?" Julia asked.

"Oh my god!" Tran sighed.

"What does it mean?" Julia frowned.

"Has Ginny gone back down?" Lola asked Tran.

"I'm still here," Ginny's voice floated down from where they had left her.

"Oh! This is the place—remember last time when we went down here with Georgia and Amy?" Julia reminded Lola, "And we found the scissors here?"

"Oh yeah!" Lola remembered. Georgia had hung out with she and Julia in year seven, and Amy was Lola's best friend from primary.

"Any last words, Tran?" Lola said, looking at the tunnel looming in front of her.

"Just say to my mum—I hate her," Tran decided.

"Ok. Anything else?" Lola asked.

"No,"

"I think I can nearly see you, Julia!" Ginny's voice could be heard somewhere to the left.

"You guys should meet up soon," Lola sat down and began to wriggle through the tunnel. It was harder work than the last one—it was smaller, and the gorse was being caught in her hair. She said in a sing-song voice: "Yay, I'm just walking—"

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" Tran interrupted. Lola turned to see he had a gorse prickle the size of a sewing needle sticking out of his thumb.

"Oh my god!" Her eyes grew wide, but she was laughing. She picked it out delicately. "Holy sh… okay"

"This is… I hate this," Tran sighed, carrying on, "I kinda regret this."

"Well, you wanted to come—we all went for the sake of you—" But she was interrupted by Tran beginning to scream again.

"Ow my butt! Oh my god! It went up my butt! It's in my butt!" He squealed, "Oh wait, I got it out, I got it out…"

"I'm sorry, I can't pick it out this time…" Lola laughed.

"No, I got it out…"

"Guys…" Julia turned to them. "There's no way out… we're stuck."

They were situated on the slope, surrounded by gorse everywhere they looked, in a small green clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a fennel bush, which Lola steered clear from as she stepped out of the tunnel.

There was silence as they surveyed the situation.

"Whelp, we just died," Lola sighed.

End Flashback

…..

[23rd December, T.A. 3018]

"Have we got everything?"

"Yes, for the—how many times now, Tran?"

"Dunno. Lost count."

Julia blushed. "Just making sure. We're setting off into the wild after all! If we leave anything behind it could be the death of us!"

"Yeah, but I thought you'd take the hint the first time we said yes," Lola rolled her eyes.

It was early in the morning. The sun had not yet risen, but it was light enough outside to see. Tran, Lola, and Julia were waiting at the exit to Rivendell with their packs.

"Wonder why it's taking Ginny so long?" Lola mused, absentmindedly swinging her pack around.

"Mmmm," Julia agreed. As if on cue, Ginny walked through the archway towards them, lugging her pack behind her.

"I do not like Rivendell," Ginny said bluntly. "I got lost—twice!"

Lola laughed. "Well, come on then—we should get going,"

"Can we please check the packs—just one more time," Julia begged in seeing the incredulous looks on her friend's faces.

'Oh my god," Tran sighed.

"Fine," Lola grumbled, plonking hers on the ground and rummaging through it.

After the final pack check, the foursome were ready to go.

Or, theoretically, they were ready to go. Supposedly, they were ready to go.

But as they stood at the exit, looking at each other and waiting for the other person to take the first step, they realized they were still unsure about this. They felt like young sparrows being kicked out of the nest too soon—would they be able to fly, or would they only see the ground becoming closer and their death rushing to meet them?

Ginny glanced over at Tran, wondering why he wasn't taking the first step. He was the man, after all.

Tran caught her staring. "Ladies first," He gestured towards the exit.

None of the three women made any sign of moving. Julia gulped.

The breeze rustled through the trees and past their ears as they stood, unmoving, silent. Who would take the first step?

It reminded them all eerily of the time at Ginny's birthday, of Tran, Lola and Julia arguing over who would have to go through the gate first. Only, this time, it was not a verbal argument, but a psychological one.

Suddenly, Lola bounded forward.

The other three stared at her incredulously as she skipped through the gate. She turned around to face them, beaming, her eyes glittering with mirth.

"I'm Legolas," She chortled, running up ahead.

"Oh-ho! No! I wanna be Legolas!" Ginny cried, rushing forward too.

Julia looked at Tran and back to the other two women.

"Well, I'm not gonna be Gandalf," She shrugged, grinning, as she joined them.

Tran just smiled and shouldered his pack. He was content with Gandalf, as long as he could say one last goodbye to the place that had been his home for the last five years. He rubbed the stonework fondly as he passed through the gate.

"Goodbye," He whispered, feeling his eyes cloud with tears. He blinked them back, put on a smile, and started after the girls.

He may have been leaving his last home, but there was nowhere he'd rather be than with them.

…

"Tran!"

Tran turned to look at Julia, who had spoken to him. They had been walking for at least an hour now, and had recently been trudging through empty stretches of grass.

"Stay right where you are…" Julia held up her hands, "No, seriously, stay still… there's like a little spider in your hair…"

Ginny, who was walking a little further ahead, turned to look at them, her eyebrows raised.

Tran stood still as Julia poked at his hair, "Oh no, it's gone. It'll probably bite you."

"And suck your brains out," Lola added.

"Right…" Tran raised his eyebrows.

"Ooh, Tran… you're going a bit pale… are you sure that spider bite isn't affecting you?" Julia frowned, looking genuinely concerned (but she was, in reality, trying not to laugh.)

There was an ominous silence, before Tran abruptly started walking again, unsure of just how to take it.

Lola snorted, amused, and carried on too.

"I am Legolas!" Ginny cried in a singsong voice. She was the best fit for Legolas, anyway—she had gotten a tie between Legolas and Arwen in the online quiz; not before Tran had got Aragorn, which was a point Lola had constantly teased them about when they were children.

"Tran is Aragorn, and I am Gimli!" Julia pushed Tran out of the way, "I don't wanna be Gimli, Tran you can be Gimli."

"Poor, poor Gimmers," Lola patted his shoulder sadly, "At least you're not Gandalf… oh, wait you are," She grinned, passing him.

"I'm not gonna be Gandalf!" Tran cried, passing Lola, and then Julia, and then reached Ginny.

"Nope, you're not gonna pass me!" Ginny exclaimed. Tran ran past her, but Ginny chased him. "Hey!"

Tran was a fast runner, but Ginny was determined. "No! I will be Legolas!"

They chased each other for some metres, until Tran tripped on a stone and fell flat on his face.

"Ooh! That must've hurt!" Ginny laughed, jogging up to him, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Tran shrugged, sitting up and accepting the hand Ginny held out for him.

"Truce," Ginny decided, "But… I'll be Legolas."

Tran scowled at her. Ginny scowled at him. They had a staring contest, just scowling at each other, trying to psyche each other out. It was then they realized they're hands were still linked, and Ginny dropped his as if it was made of fire.

"Ok… you can be Legolas—for now…" Ginny said ominously, walking away.

…..

**A/N: You can be Legolas—for now! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA—cough, cough.**

**Anyways, review! Review and get a (virtual) Ginny action figure! COLLECT THEM ALL! :D**

**Pippin: Do you honestly think people are going to review just because of an action figure that is not even real?**

**Me: Nope. Perhaps they'll prove me wrong! (Hint hint HINT HINT HINT!)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Only three people reviewed the last chapter. :( Thanks to Melissa, Brightpath2 and Spottedmask12, who will all receive… a (virtual) GINNY ACTION FIGURE! Today's chapter is JULIA! **

**Anyway, this is what I call a walking chapter. This is the point where the chapter plan goes like:**

**- Walking**

**- Walking**

**- Walking**

**- Walking**

**So yeah. Anyway, I'll be starting high school in two days ( SOOOOO NERVOUS) so you'll get one more on time update—and then everything might go crazy. :/**

…..

[23rd December, T.A. 3018]

It had been two and a half hours. The walking wasn't tiring, as such—but rather boring.

Lola walked in sullen silence, while Ginny and Julia talked and Tran walked further ahead. The land had not changed in the slightest and the moody brunette had had her fill of it.

"How far have we gone?" She asked Tran, catching up to him.

"About seven miles or so," Tran decided after thinking for a minute, "After another three we'll turn south."

The sun was now high in the sky, drifting among which were a few wispy gossamer clouds. A light breeze ruffled the plain's furry back, and the buttercups played Chinese whispers with the grass stems.

They walked side by side in silence. Lola was not good at relating to Tran and his interests—besides; she was no longer sure what they were anymore.

In the distance it was suddenly visible to Lola a line of trees on the horizon.

"What's that?" She asked Tran. Tran stopped and took the map out of his pack.

"Trollshaws," He frowned, "I didn't know we were so close to them. Perhaps we'll turn south when we reach them—what do you think?"

"Yeah, good idea," Lola nodded, and they continued on in silence.

"Who do you think," Julia caught up to Lola, with Ginny not far behind, "Is the best looking guy in Lord of the Rings,"

"Jackson movies or real life?" Lola asked.

"Movies," Julia replied.

"Shadowfax, man!" Lola threw her hands up in the air, "He is hot!"

Julia laughed, "Nah, but seriously."

Lola thought for a while, before saying, "Frodo. When he isn't half-dead."

This was an inside joke between them. Lola had written a twenty-page essay on why Gandalf was better than Dumbledore, and Julia had preceded with a two-page essay on 'Why Frodo is better than Harry,' with the quote 'Harry is more handsome than Frodo' before two pictures—one of Harry standing there normally, and one of Frodo half-dead on Mount Doom.

"Why?" Julia wrinkled up her nose.

"The eyes," Lola grinned, "And the dark hair—plus, it's curly. I have this thing about curly hair."

"Ah," Ginny nodded, "Aiden had curly hair."

Aiden had been Lola's crush in year eight and nobody understood why—not even Lola.

"What about you Ginny?" Lola hastily steered them away from her childhood fantasies.

"Dunno," Ginny wrinkled up her nose, "I'll think about it."

"Tran?" Lola joked.

"Gandalf,"

"Right. Julia?"

"Legolas," Julia said dreamily, "Or Aragorn…"

"Uh oh, Julia—don't go ditzy on us!" Lola warned.

"Ohmygod do you think we'll meet them!?" Julia asked.

"Face palm," Was all Ginny managed to say before Lola launched into her speech of 'Why you could never have a romance with a canon character in Lord of the Rings.'

"Ok, ok, I get it…" Julia grumbled, walking away—but Lola followed her, still lecturing.

Ginny laughed and fell into stride beside Tran. "So, how far do we have to go?"

"We're just gonna reach Trollshaw forest, and then go south for about five miles, and then west. And then we just need to find the Fellowship's trail. If my calculations are correct then that should be easy. If they're not…"

"Then I might need to get my ranger bow out and look for clues or something," Ginny finished.

"…or something," Tran shifted his pack on his shoulders.

…..

About twenty minutes later they reached the edge of the forest, where they stopped for a drink and a meagre meal of a handful of dried fruit each. They would eat something more sustaining at dinnertime later.

After this, they set off again—this time south. They would have to walk for about five to six miles in this direction, Tran had calculated.

They were making more progress than they had expected. It was not yet midday—and at the rate they were going, they would be finished before nightfall, which would not be good. Tran suggested once they had gone about three miles south they should stop and make camp there.

"Well, we've talked about the hottest characters in Lord of the Rings," Lola suddenly said, "But what about the ugly ones?"

"Gollum," Ginny decided, "Is cute sometimes, but ugly most of the time."

"It's because he's got too much going on," Lola reasoned, "You know, hobbit, mutant, dog, frog—what is he? Dom M. thinks he looks like a bus sometimes—"

"Or Dobby," Julia added.

"If anything, Dobby looks like Gollum, not the other way round," Lola contradicted.

"What do you think Tran?" Julia asked.

"Gandalf," Tran said.

"Wait… isn't that what you said last time for the hottest character in Lord of the Rings…?" Ginny frowned.

"I'm running away," Tran fake pouted, and began to run ahead in slow motion.

"Kay," Lola blinked rapidly.

"Merry's ugly," Julia wrinkled up her nose, "Not in real life, but in the movie he is,"

"No he's not!" Lola cried in horror.

"Yeah he is,"

"Well, what is it that makes him ugly?" Ginny asked.

"I dunno, he's just all… weird," Julia shrugged. "He has a big nose."

Lola sighed. "No he doesn't… he just has a more masculine face,"

"Than who?" Julia asked.

"Than Pippin?" Ginny suggested, "Merry's more masculine, while Pippin is more feminine,"

"Oh, I'm sure Pippin needs reminding that he would make a perfect little lass," Lola rolled her eyes, "Don't be so mean!"

"I'm not being mean, besides, we're only talking about the movie characters, not the real people." Ginny argued.

"True," Lola mused.

"What about that guy with the long grey hair?" Julia frowned.

"Denethor?" Ginny swapped shoulders so her pack rested in a more comfortable position.

"Yeah, him."

"I HATE HIM!" Lola exclaimed, "He is soooo mean!"

"Here we go…" Ginny sighed.

"Nobody should have to hear their father say that about them! 'Oh, Faramir, I wish you had died instead of your brother!'" Lola said passionately, "He is a monster, that man. If I ever see him I will strangle him!"

"Who's the most abominable fictional character you've ever read about?" Ginny asked.

"Thomas Covenant from Stephen Donaldson's 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever'. I hated him so much!" Lola said, "He had leprosy, and I think he had anger management issues, too. He was transported to this place called The Land and everyone thought he was the legendary hero, Berek Halfhand, because he was missing two fingers from his leprosy."

"Ah," Ginny said, but Lola wasn't finished.

"And everyone was trying to help him, but he kept on being mean to them and yelling at them and pushing them away. But they kept trying. He was their only hope. And then he raped this girl who's family was helping him," Lola finished.

There was silence.

"Conflicted guy," said Ginny

…..

"We'll camp here for the night," Tran suddenly said, plonking himself down on the ground.

It was only one o'clock in the afternoon but they would have to stop, or they would be going too fast for the Fellowship.

The landscape had changed now—it was no longer plains of grass, but plains of grass with areas of bush and scrub. Tran had chosen a spot just beside a group of bushes.

"We'll need to build a fire," Ginny said, putting her pack down.

So she and Tran went to find some stones while Lola and Julia went to find some firewood. Wood was found easily enough but stones were hard found in these lands and it ended up being a team effort to find them.

They created a ring of stones on a patch of ground Tran had cleared of grass (out of paranoia that it would set alight) and put the sticks in the centre, ready for tonight.

"Time to break out the champagne?" Lola looked at their handiwork.

"Cheers, guys," Ginny said, taking an invisible glass of champagne and pretending to clink it against the other four's.

After drinking to their health, it was a simple question of what to do next.

"Ah," Lola spoke, "Sword training."

"Ok," Tran agreed, "Get your swords,"

"Am I going to have to pretend to be a beginner again?" Ginny whispered.

"Yeah," Tran replied.

"Dammit," Ginny sighed.

And so they started all over again.

Firstly was how to hold it. Julia picked it up easily but Lola had some trouble—eventually she got it.

And then came the stances—and the dreaded, monotonous, stances exercise. Ginny was finding it difficult to tone it down by that point. It was beginners' stuff! She hoped they learnt soon.

They trained until four o'clock in the evening, when Tran said that was enough. All three girls were sweating (Ginny not so much) and were glad for the break.

That night they ate more dried fruit and a small piece of a type of lembas that had a somewhat buttery quality. Lola started fangirling again, and Ginny had to smack her.

All was good.

Then that night, while Lola and Julia were sleeping, Tran woke Ginny up to do a little training alone.

It was midnight, and without light pollution the moon did the job of lighting the plains.

In the starlight they sparred, but from a distance they looked as though they could be dancing, through the long grass, darting around each other with all the grace of two tightrope walkers.

The darkness would wrap itself around anything—but around them it could not, for there the happiness and contentment shone too bright under the ashen sky.

Lola laid twenty metres away, watching. They looked like lovers, she thought. Like Beren the mortal man and Luthien the fair.

…..

[24th December, T.A. 3018]

"We have about another three miles to go south," Tran said, studying the map as they walked, "And then we'll turn west."

It was eight o'clock in the morning and they had just set off. The fire had been destroyed and removed of all evidence—Lola had even gone so far to cover the spot with grass.

"And then we won't have far to go at all!" Julia said happily, "Oh, I'm Gimli,"

"I'm Aragorn!" Ginny chortled.

The walking was the same slightly tedious affair it had been last time. The land was unchanging, the conversation ran low…

Suddenly, Lola piped up, "Remember Nathan?"

"Yeah! How could I forget?" Ginny exclaimed.

"Short Asian dude, dark hair. Julia's crush…" Lola reminded them, "I made him cry, twice."

"He liked you, remember?" Julia said glumly, "He told you."

"And the wedding!" Tran suddenly said.

"Oh yeah!" Lola laughed. Julia had been telling Ginny a story, and had suddenly said (in the story) 'Will you marry me,' and Nathan had been sitting in front of her. He turned around, horrified, and the wedding plans were born.

"Oh yeah…" Julia rolled her eyes.

"And remember how I accidentally told Campbell, and had to threaten to cut off his balls?" Lola added, "And then I told Joe, and he told everyone that they were going out?"

"I remember that," Ginny nodded, "All too well."

"What about Aiden," Julia said slyly, "Let's talk about him!"

"Oh, god, no!" Lola face palmed.

"What is there to say about him?" Ginny laughed.

"Sick-minded gamer guy," Julia began.

"Who was very, very funny and cute," Lola finished.

"That's not what I was going to say!"

"I know. D'ya remember that time he asked me out for a joke?"

"It wasn't a joke, Lola!" Julia sighed, "You just said no and he covered up. If you had said yes… maybe you would be married and he would be walking alongside us."

"Julia, we were thirteen."

"Still…"

"And remember what's his face? Oh—Henry?" Ginny reminded them.

"Biggest dick in the whole class," Lola shook her head, "A total idiot."

"Or Fergle," Julia added.

"Oh, not him! Let's just say I disliked him very much," Lola sighed, "Him and his damn American accent!"

"And the most annoying voice award goes to…" Ginny began, but Tran cut her off.

"What about Fleur?" He asked.

Fleur was a pretty Asian girl who had hung out with them a lot in the last term.

"Oh yeah," Julia nodded, "We were Maximum Ride buddies!"

"We should stop all this nostalgic crap," Lola sighed.

"But it's fun," Ginny protested.

So they carried on with the 'nostalgic crap'. They loved remembering and having someone to share stories with who knew the person.

But they all knew it wasn't good to be holding onto life on Earth.

Because they all knew might never walk in that time again.

…..

**A/N: Ginny and Julia—try to guess who those people actually were in our class! XD Most will be super easy…**

**Other readers… read The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and join the 'I hate Thomas Covenant' club. Good books, though. Mean character. My favourite characters are Banner and Mhoram, for anyone who may've already read it. :P**

**Review! Review and get a (virtual) Julia action figure! (And apple pie. Ginny asked me to say that.)**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hullo! Action filled chapter today!**

**Thanks to Melissa, Ginny, Brightpath2, ScarlettPimpernel00, who all receive A (virtual) JULIA ACTION FIGURE! Today's chapter is (obviously) Lola! The foursome's action figures will be repeated in later chapters, so there will be another chance to get them—but the limited edition characters such as Belegil will only be available for one chapter! :P**

**I started high school the other day! I was so nervous but it's actually so cool, and Ginny's in every single class of mine and in my team, and our timetables are identical! And my crush from intermediate (Aiden) is in my class, and I'm so excited! :D**

**In other news, Tran is back from Thailand and Julia started high school as well. She says she's got a grumpy teacher. DX**

**Anyway, reviews:**

**ScarlettPimerpernel00: Lotta reviews! XD Love reading them though! All those mistakes… tut tut, Goldie. Maybe I do need a Beta reader…**

**Brightpath2: Glad the chapter was good, how's the cover going?**

**CHAPTER TIME!**

…..

[24th December, T.A. 3018]

It was ten o'clock, and the sun was now high in the sky. They had been walking for two hours already, and had recently turned west.

"We'll walk west for about ten miles or so," Tran was saying, "And then camp, because otherwise the Fellowship won't be there yet."

"Hey, Tran…" Lola said suddenly, "The Fellowship set out from Rivendell on the 25th, so if we reach the spot on the 24th, won't they not have set out yet?"

A look of realization crossed Tran's face. "Oh… I never thought of that…"

"What?" Ginny asked, catching up.

"We need to stop here," Tran ordered, "I've just realized my calculations were incorrect."

"What, how?" Julia frowned.

"Because," Tran began to explain, "If we reach the spot where the Fellowship pass through on the 25th, the Fellowship have only set out. Therefore, they might not reach the spot till after we have."

"So if we walk for another mile or so," Ginny said logically, "And then set up camp, we can start off late morning and perhaps be there just after the Fellowship."

Tran turned to her, "Good idea."

And so, the problem resolved, they carried on walking.

"Hey, Lola," Ginny said suddenly, turning to Lola, "We should start up our debate about cliché again!"

"NO!" Julia screamed, "PLEASE NO!"

"Fine," Ginny said sulkily.

"I know!" Lola said brightly, "Let's dig up another debate—one that was never resolved."

"What?" Julia asked suspiciously.

"Lord of the Rings… verses Harry Potter!" Lola grinned.

"Oh. My. God." Ginny cracked up laughing.

And so the debate was begun. Julia was (obviously) for Harry Potter, and Lola for Lord of the Rings and all things Tolkien. Ginny was somewhere in between, while Tran wasn't participating at all—he was up ahead, studying the maps.

The debate started off calmly, but soon became very heated on Lola's part, before Julia quit, not wanting a fight. Ginny and Lola carried on.

"Rowling doesn't even come close to what Tolkien did—no one does!" Lola exclaimed.

"She did, actually." Ginny said, "She wrote an extremely popular and original book, and is now filthy rich! Even when Lord of the Rings first came out, it never received as much publicity as Harry Potter."

"Tolkien created a world so complex and detailed it could almost be real. In fact—whoop-de-do; it is real! We're in it, right now!" Lola cried, "He created the soil we walk on, and the language we speak. Rowling does not, I repeat, does not come close to Tolkien in any way!"

As finalizing as this sounds, it did not end the argument. In fact, in went on till they came to the spot they were to camp.

It was only ended when Ginny finally said, "Maybe Tolkien didn't even create all this, then! Maybe he had been here and just wrote about it!"

Lola shut up after that.

…..

The spot they were to camp was next to the river Loudwater, the river that snaked into the two rivers Rivendell was caught between. There they began the task of building a fire.

Stones were a lot easier to find in this part, but wood was difficult. They managed to get enough for their small fire, however.

They then ate a meal of a strip of dried meat and a handful of dried fruit each. The store of lembas they had would be for later.

Sword training, they decided, would be carried out later in the day, when the sun was not so bright—for it was only midday. They sat around in a circle, telling stories.

"Well, my father had a farm, as you guys know," Ginny was saying, "And we had pigs. We had a deal with a café in town—"

"What café was it?" Julia asked.

"Can't remember," Ginny frowned, "Anyway, we had a deal with them, and they gave us their food scraps to feed the pigs, coz, you know… they didn't want the scraps. So they gave us the scraps, and I think one day the café must've served apple cucumbers. My dad piled the pig poo in one corner of the garden, and then two weeks later…"

The other three were already grinning.

"There were all these apple cucumbers!" Ginny laughed, "I was like, 'Oh, I didn't know you planted apple cucumbers.' And my dad said, '…that's because I didn't.'"

"What are apple cucumbers?" Julia asked, laughing.

"They're like, cucumbers that are small and pale," Ginny laughed, "Whenever someone came around, it was like: 'Hey, do you want some apple cucumbers?' 'Oh, sure, I love those things!' And then, you know, hands them a bucket. 'TAKE THEM!'"

"Oh my god," Lola laughed.

"That was the… second batch of pigs, I think. I didn't like the third batch that much—my favourite chicken was called Whitey, because she was white—"

"No, she was called Whitey because she was brown," Lola rolled her eyes.

"… anyway," Ginny gave Lola a pointed look, "And one year she went clucky—you know, she wanted to have babies—and so we bought her some eggs to sit on, and I was really excited because I was going to be a grandma!"

"Can you have a thirteen year old grandma?" Julia asked.

"The youngest mother ever was five," Lola shrugged, "I dunno."

"Anyway," Ginny continued, "But the third batch of pigs were escape artists, and they got out and ate the eggs and stood on them!"

"Awwww!" Julia cried.

"Yeah," Ginny sniffed, "So I didn't get to be a grandma."

"Aw," Lola said sadly.

They continued to tell stories till two o'clock descended. That's when they decided to do a little sword training.

Tran enjoyed teaching the girls, he really did—but it was different with Lola and Julia. It was clunkier, almost—unlike the swift, darting sessions with Ginny.

The best part was the confidential glances and smiles—like passing notes in secrecy, as Ginny drifted past their eyes would meet, and he could scarcely keep himself from grinning.

That night they ate lembas and huddled around the fire, talking in hushed voices. The day was warm but the night was bitter, and the girls wore only dresses with short sleeves.

It all felt wonderfully wild and primitive and beautiful, thought Tran. He had never experienced anything quite like it, growing up in a very suburban area and adapting a similar lifestyle.

Life on the road was fantastically simple and ancient. He felt as though he had stepped into a book or film.

That was the tricky thing, he thought. Trying to get it into his head that he was not walking in a book or film—but a real place. The world was as real and material as his own.

Seeing as it was his own. Arda and Earth were the same planet.

_But which time frame did he belong in?_

…..

Tran woke Ginny in the night for training. She was keen, so they did.

The moonlit dance began again. The night before had been a practice—tonight was a real spar.

They stood, facing each other, motionless, holding their swords in front of them.

Tran had given Ginny the first move. She knew he was going to beat her—but she decided to try all the same.

She was unmoving for a few seconds, standing in silence with her sword in front of her.

Then she sprang forward with the same cat like movement Belegil had, but Tran found himself thinking she looked more wolfish in the dim light.

He blocked her easily, however, before hitting her sword out of the way and trying a swing—but Ginny ducked and attempted 'stabbing' his leg.

Tran was experienced enough to jump backwards before the blade reached him, and landed another blow whilst she was still on the ground.

He wasn't expecting a strangled cry of pain to escape her lips. Surprised, he dropped his sword and fell to his knees, exclaiming, "Are you ok?"

Ginny was biting her lip and clutching her hand, her sword lying on the ground. "You just nicked my hand, that's all. Nothing really."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Tran grabbed her hand awkwardly and looked at it. It was not a deep cut, he could see that even in the dim light—but it was bleeding even so, and he himself felt stupid for causing it.

He wiped it a little with the edge of his tunic (which was dirty anyway—even elvish garments may collect debris).

The blood slowed while the moonlight pooled around them with a milky-white glow.

Suddenly they heard a noise—not necessarily a comforting noise.

"Was that a…" Ginny began weakly, but was cut off by the noise again—a howling.

"Wolf?" Tran finished, "I dunno."

They fell silent for few seconds, and the noise repeated. It was most definitely a wolf—there was no doubt in either of their hearts.

Tran sprang to his feet, picking up his sword. Ginny did the same.

"Wolf!" Ginny screamed, running over to where Lola and Julia slept, about twenty metres away.

Lola was up immediately, as if she had not even been sleeping, fumbling for her sword. "What?"

"A wolf!" Tran panted, "Or a pack of them. I don't know."

"A wolf?!" Lola exclaimed before letting out a string of creative expletives.

Julia was up and scrambling for her sword, shaking with fright, "How far away?"

"Not far," Tran began to panic, "Maybe quarter a mile?"

"Five minutes away as the wolf runs," Lola began to hyperventilate, "What are we going to do?"

The howl came again, louder than ever, and it sent prickles down their spines. Any minute now they would hear the padding of feet—the sound of their deaths.

Lola hauled a handful of grass from the ground and held it close to the fire. It caught alight and quickly became covered with flame. She shrieked and threw it on the ground.

The grass was fast catching alight around them.

"What did you do that for?" Julia screamed.

"To ward them off," Lola yelled back, "They don't like fire."

Ginny saw this logic and pulled up some grass too, setting it on fire and throwing it on the ground.

Soon the grass was alight and they were standing behind a wall of fire—which is the moment they heard a cruel snarl.

Julia huddled to one side, shielding the packs against the fire, her sword clenched in her hand. The other three stood at the wall of fire, clutching their swords in shaky fists.

Through the flame was visible a pointed snout and two yellow eyes. Lola's breath caught in her throat as another appeared, and another.

Ginny swivelled around to survey the exit. The fire had curved around them, and the only way out was the river Loudwater—but she knew they would never be able to swim it.

"Kill me now." Lola breathed.

But the wolves could not get past the fiery wall. They jogged along it, panting and snarling, but they were intelligent enough not to even try.

No, the foursome's problem was one they could not fight with sword and weapon. It was the flames.

They were pushing them back towards the river. Lola rushed to find her drinking satchel to wet the grass around them with—but it was slow work and the fire ate quickly.

Julia was sobbing with fear and Lola was beginning to hyperventilate again.

Tran was standing close to the flames, fearless and defiant, expressionless. Ginny stood beside him, a little further back, looking wolfish once more—of a rival pack. Tran, meanwhile, looked no longer like a fluttery bird but a proud lion, standing at the brink of his death but not backing down.

A larger wolf—presumably the leader—stalked up to the front of the wall and stood across from Tran, staring at him. His amber eyes flickered across both of their faces.

The light from the fire glittered across Tran's face as he stared too.

There was silence. Even Julia's sobs slowed. Lola did not stop watering the grass, but stopped hyperventilating.

"_Dago din_!" Tran yelled suddenly, plunging his sword deep into the wolf's face.

The wolf cried in pain, and Tran yanked his sword back. It was slick with thick, dark blood.

Ginny breathed in sharply.

The other wolves began barking and snarling, angry by the death of their leader.

One attempted to get through the barrier, but fell back, screaming with pain.

"How many are there?" Tran cried.

"I dunno!" Ginny yelled, "There could be up to 15 in a single pack, but I doubt all of the pack are  
here…"

She was interrupted by a scream from Lola: "I can't keep the f***ing fire back! Can someone help me!?"

Ginny raced over to grab her water satchel to help.

Tran tried stabbing another of the wolves, but it jumped back before the blade could reach them. He tried another, but it did the same.

He carried on, in vain hope they would be intimidated.

Ginny seemed to read his thoughts, and said, "Wolves are social animals. The death of their alpha male is a sore blow to them. They won't back down."

Tran swallowed nervously. The sweat was dripping down his face. The fire was scorchingly hot, and every minute or so he had to step back as it closed in another inch.

There was only a metre and a half till they would be pushed into the water.

"Can wolves swim?" Lola asked in a panicky voice.

"Yeah," Ginny nodded, feeling her blood run cold, "They prefer not to but… if… if their prey is on an island in the middle of the water they will swim out to—"

Julia let out a cry of alarm, "But the wolves wouldn't be stupid enough to swim this river!"

It was too vast and too rough, surely.

"Even if they don't, we'll be forced to." Lola took a shuddery breath and screamed, "WE ARE GOING TO DIE!"

The flames grew higher and broader and more magnificent as they devoured the grass. Lola and Ginny were having trouble keeping it wet—the intense heat evaporated the water so quickly.

"This is my fault," Lola sobbed, "I shouldn't have set fire to the grass!"

"We would've gotten eaten by wolves if you hadn't," Ginny said kindly.

"We would've died anyway," Julia agreed through her tears.

The fire burned brighter than ever and the howl of a wolf filled the night with exclamation points like spears of a dark fortune on their ears.

Tran felt tears begin to run down his cheeks. The end was black and bitter. He sank to his knees, crying protests to the god he did not believe in, and the flames gleamed in his tears like amber jewels.

He cursed and sobbed, staring at the ground lit up with fire, and the hilt in his clenched hand, his glasses foggy with the heat and tears and sweat.

And finally, Tran stared at the raven sky and saw that the pale moon had betrayed them.

…..

**A/N: Like my cliffhanger? I'm so evil. Teehee.**

**(Dago Din is 'kill them' in elvish. Tran picked it up from listening to war stories)**

**If you wanted a song to play for the last three pages (wolf attack) then I would recommend Crows and Locusts by Brooke Fraser. I was listening to that when I wrote the attack. Good song.**

**Remember, (virtual) Lola up for grabs!**

**Also, question: who is your favourite character out of Ginny, Julia, Lola and Tran? If you let me know in your review, I'll give you a limited edition AIDEN action figure! (Ok, nobody even wants Aiden. 'Cept me.) No matter, I'll also give you APPLE PIE! Ginny likes apple pie. A lot.**

**So, review and tell me: Who's your favourite character: Ginny, Julia, Lola, Tran?**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey! Got the chapter, finally—sorry, I've just begun High School and it's been pretty hectic… I've been bombarded with homework, and yesterday I ended up breaking down and crying because I had so much to do, but that's another story… but I managed to find some time to write the chapter and play on Mario Kart! Yay!**

**To all my beautiful reviewers: You get a (virtual) Lola action figure! To all those who reviewed telling me who their favourite character was: you get APPLE PIE, (virtual) Lola, and (virtual) Aiden! (Even though you probably don't want Aiden. Oh well. Free stuff.) To the person who wanted (virtual) Aiden Turner… yeah, same. XD**

**In other news: Julia and I are making a horror movie. I went to Tran's house the other day but didn't actually see him. Ginny continues to be far more enthusiastic about high school than me! XD**

**On with the chapter!**

…..

[12th October 2013]

Continuation of Gully flashback

"We're gonna starve here guys!" Lola sighed as they looked around at their gorse-padded prison.

"Ginny, can you bush bash through here?" Julia called.

"Ow," Tran said, peering at his hand.

"There is gorse in my hair! Tran are you ok?" Lola looked at him, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tran sighed.

"Ok, let me go in front," Lola pushed forward.

"I think I've got a rash…" Julia squinted at her wrists.

"Hey, there's actually a way out," Lola pointed to a tunnel going through the gorse at one end of the clearing. It was small and hardly noticeable.

"Look, I've got a rash," Julia showed her wrist to Lola.

"Yeah, I've got one too," Lola told her.

"Are you guys alright?" Ginny called from the outside.

"Yeah," Lola said, and at the same time Julia cried "No!"

"Yes!" Lola called again.

"No, we've all got rashes!" Julia exclaimed.

"Yes, we're fine," Lola made her over to the tunnel and squatted down to look through it. It was small but a person could squeeze through it.

Julia glanced over and saw what Lola was thinking. "Are you gonna climb through there? Are you completely nuts! Why is your brain so—did you get dropped on your head as a baby?"

"Well, you could stay here and die of starvation," Lola shrugged.

"I am not going in there—whatever you say!" Julia declared.

But Tran joined Lola at the lip of the tunnel, leaving Julia standing on her own.

"What was the point of this anyway? Weren't we going to find the patch?" Julia frowned.

The patch was a green space of grass visible from a window in Lola's house. They had reached the patch with Georgia and Amy—and they wanted to do it again.

"Oh, the patch!" Lola remembered, "Well, we'll have to go down here and then go a different path."

"It's nearly half past, so we should probably go back," Julia said weakly.

"It won't take that long," Tran argued.

"You guys are so weird," Lola suddenly said, "You're all like, 'Oh let's go, and get pricked,' and then when you get there, you decide you hate it and you never want to go again, but then you're just like, 'oh, let's go again'. It's so weird."

"See, I'm not like that—I'm smart," Ginny said from the other side of the tunnel.

"You're so smart Ginny, why didn't I do what you did!" Julia cried.

They began to edge their way down the tunnel, Lola going first, followed by Tran, and lastly—and reluctantly—Julia.

"Oh my god, the gorse is like, all over your hair," Tran laughed.

"Yeah, I know," Lola tried to pick some of it out and failed. "Hey, is that sharp?" She asked, pointing to a dead branch of gorse with hardly any prickles.

"I dunno," Tran touched it, "No,"

"Help me!" Julia cried, "People!"

"No, it's actually sharp, I lied." Tran drew his hand away quickly. Lola laughed.

Suddenly Julia began screaming at all the pricks, and Lola started yelling at Tran for nearly falling on her, and the three of them began to make a large amount of noise.

Only one member of the foursome seemed content.

"While you guys scream in pain," Ginny called, "I'm just gonna keep on whittling, if that's all right with you."

"Ow ow ow!" Tran cried.

"What's whittling?" Julia frowned.

"Well, she's basically sharpening her stick, and she's gonna stab the… Uruk Hai." Lola explained.

"So wait, there's gorse—and then there's Uruk Hai." Julia sighed.

"Yeah," Lola said absentmindedly, trying to find a way through the gorse where she wouldn't stab herself.

"Ow ow ow, ow ow ow ow, ow ow ow," said Tran as he slid down.

"I actually think that at this particular moment that gorse is worse," Julia said.

"It got up my butt again!" Tran yelped.

"Well, I hope you guys had a great time, at my place," Lola grinned.

"My mum is gonna be so angry, but oh well—ow ow ow!" Tran said.

"OW! Crap!" Lola cried as she got pricked. She turned to Tran, who was shrieking as his leg was caught between the trunks of two gorse bushes.

"I can't get my leg out!" He screamed, "I'm stabbing myself!"

"Would you like me to help?" Lola tried to remain calm, and attempted to gently detach his leg from it's snare.

Tran let out (not for the first time) a not so manly scream.

"My friend Tran," Julia laughed, "He looks like a girl, he acts like a girl, and he screams like a girl."

"I think," Ginny said, "He is a girl."

Lola stepped out of the tunnel.

"Ooh, my butt—I'm out! I'M OUT!" Tran cried as he tumbled out too.

"There is gorse all over my hair!" Lola exclaimed.

The three of them rejoiced in their survival—but then came a yell from the side.

"HELP MEEEEEEE!" Julia screamed.

End Flashback

…..

[24th December T.A. 3018]

"Tran!"

Her voice seemed muffled and far away, but Tran found himself being lifted from his darkness. When he resurfaced his eyes were filled with a vision of a fiery-haired angel standing in a halo of flame.

"Tran!" Ginny shook him by the shoulder, "Tran!"

Tran blinked and saw it was actually Ginny. He took a shuddery breath.

"Tran," Ginny said carefully, "I'm going to set the spare firewood on fire, ok? Then I'm gonna stand on your shoulders and throw it at the wolves, ok? Do you think you can do that? Tran? Tran! Ok?"

"Yeah," Tran mumbled, staggering to his feet. He saw that the fire was only a metre from the edge of the water.

Ginny helped him up. "Ok? You know what to do?"

"Yeah," Tran blinked several times and shook his head as if to clear it from the fuzz.

He bent down, and Ginny vaulted onto his back. He stood back up slowly.

"What can you see?" Lola called from behind him.

"There are about seven of them," Ginny yelled back, now sitting on Tran's shoulders, "Pass me a bit of wood, Lola."

Lola nodded and picked a piece of wood from the pile before holding it close to the fire till it caught a spark.

She passed it up to Ginny, who took a deep breath, looked at her favourite animal, and threw the wood.

It struck one of the wolves on the back. The wolf yelped but the flame had already caught. Tran could hear it's helpless screams as the fire stole its body.

Ginny let out a little cry. To Lola and Julia it could've sounded like one of triumph—but Tran knew it was one of pain.

The other wolves were aggrieved at their loss. They began to bark, and two leapt at then wall only to find themselves come to a similar fate.

Lola passed up another piece of burning wood. Ginny hesitated but threw it as well. It missed, but landed on the ground beside a wolf. It jumped back—but not fast enough; a spark caught on its coat and it was long gone.

Only three wolves remained, and two were backing away slightly. Ginny missed the next shot, but the one after caught two at once, and they went down shrieking a bitter scream.

There was one left. Fear was in its eyes but it still stood, defiant, the last of its dead companions.

Ginny stared at it. It stared at her. Tran could feel a large shudder go through her body.

Lola was holding up the next piece of wood. It was burning bright.

Ginny took it tentatively, and then looked back at the wolf.

A long silence ensured.

Finally, against every single will in her being and vicinity, she took aim and fired.

A piercing cry reached the empty air.

The wolf fell to the ground, writhing around like a dead fly, its body contorted as it struggled against the harshest element. Then, finally, it lay still.

…..

The fire was dangerously close to the water, and they were still being pushed back.

"What do we do?" Julia screamed.

"I know!" Lola cried, picking up a blanket from the pile of supplies she was protecting. She then proceeded to dump it in the water.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked, wide-eyed.

"We'll put this over the fire and run over as fast a possible," Lola explained, swishing the blanket around and pulling it out, "Grab your packs!"

They did as they were told, knowing it was their only chance.

"One," Lola said, "Two."

"Get on with it!" Julia shrieked.

"Three!" Lola said, throwing the blanket a section of the fire.

This created a small walkway just big enough for a person to slip through.

Julia was first to get over, followed closely by Lola, and finally Ginny and Tran.

Once over, Lola quickly whipped the blanket away before it could dry and become flammable once more.

There was a long silence. The foursome stood, to one side of the flames—sweaty, dirty—but alive.

…..

They stared at the flames ravaging the plains in front of them.

"We can't leave it like this," Lola voiced all of their thoughts.

"We have to put it out," Julia agreed. "We can just use the blanket and wet it."

And so they wet two blankets and went around throwing them over the fire. Lola wouldn't go near the burning carcasses of the wolves, and Ginny unexpectedly burst into tears as soon as she saw them. So it was up to Tran and Julia to do it.

Once finished, the area was a wasteland, black and bleak. They all felt upset, even as Lola reminded them it would grow back.

"What now?" Ginny asked as they stared at the burnt land.

"We have to cross the river," Lola decided, "We'll have to walk along until we find a shallower spot, though."

"But how far will we have to walk?" Julia protested.

"I dunno," Lola shrugged, "But how long would you like to stay here?"

There was silence.

"Ok," Tran finally said, "We'll hike along for a bit, but we can't go too far off course. I can't ever remember what way we're meant to be going…" And he was rummaging for his map and compass, muttering to himself.

After a quick check, they were off down the river.

It was about one o'clock in the morning. Julia stumbled around, barely awake, while Lola yawned constantly. Tran walked stonily ahead, grim and resolute. Ginny walked beside him, eyes drooping but still awake.

All four felt like zombies. They kept their swords in their hands, but Lola had already dropped hers, twice. Everything seemed magnified to a supernatural scale in the darkness, and they jumped at every noise.

Ginny was close to tears again. She was surprised—she didn't usually cry, and she was embarrassed that she wasn't keeping it together. But everything seemed to be pressing her—the fight, the darkness, the tiredness, and all those wolves that had died cruel deaths at the hands of her.

_All they wanted was to not die of starvation. They didn't deserve to burn._

"Ginny?"

She looked up, and saw Tran looking at her, concerned. It was then she realized she had tears running down her cheeks.

"You ok?" Tran asked.

Ginny wanted to talk but she didn't. She felt so many emotions she felt as though she would be torn in half by the pressure.

Tran was still staring at her.

She gingerly wiped the tears from her cheeks with the side of her hand, and opened her mouth to say it was nothing—but all that came out was a loud sob of grief.

Crash. She could hold it no longer.

Everything that had happened in the last hour came down on her. She tried to contain her tears but it was useless; they just kept coming.

"I murdered them!" She howled, feeling herself realize suddenly the magnitude of what she had done.

_Murder._ She had killed them.

_Murder._ They never deserved to die.

_Murder._ The wolf's distorted body and tortured scream filled her vision.

_Murder._

She felt strong arms grab her by the shoulders.

"Ginny! Ginny, it's ok. You didn't murder them. It's not your fault. Ginny, don't cry. Please, don't cry…" She could feel Tran's hot breath on her ear.

She took a shuddery breath and tried to slow her sorrow, but couldn't quite manage it, falling apart again.

Lola and Julia caught up.

"What's going on?" Lola frowned.

"We'll stop here for the night," Tran sighed, letting go of Ginny, "We can't go on much longer. We need sleep."

They agreed this was necessary, and set up beside the river. They took shifts keeping watch that night, paranoid of another attack.

Tran sat awake by the campsite, wiping his bloody blade on the grass.

He glanced over at Ginny.

She seemed to be sleeping, but a single, crystal tear was forming on her cheek.

…

**A/N: Yay! Tran/Ginny moment! I wish they had a ship name, but it doesn't sound that good. 'Tinny'. 'Gran'. :/**

**YAY FOR WET BLANKETS!**

**This chapter's action figure is indeed… (virtual) Belegil! Limited time, only available this chapter!**

**REVIEW! Those who haven't, keep on telling me your favourite characters!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Sorry it's a bit late! :/ Homework, writers block and Aiden all contributed to this. **

**Thankyou to all my reviewers, reading the reviews makes my day! :) **

**But dear Kyle: If you don't like this story, don't read it. If you haven't already realized; I hate Legolas. Why would I use him in a romance? And plus, I'm not even using a character/OC romance, kay? Calm down. And don't you think it's stupid to judge a story by the number of reviews it has? And the number for NEW ZEALAND (not Britain) is 111, thank you, I live here. That 'clichéd part of being dropped in Bree' has a reason, thankyou, you can't make such a rash judgement in like, chapter three. The work thing… I know. But my characters aren't perfect—and Julia was simply comparing her life to one of a Mary-sue. And what the hell do you mean by Mr Precious? Like, the ring? Or Gollum? Or a dancing llama wearing a hat full of tacos? Either way, I'm sorry, your criticism fits into the flame category (haters without enough justification). You are the only person who is stupid enough to make judgements like this before you've read the whole thing, therefore, it will be ignored. :)**

**Brightpath2: Hope it's going well then!**

**Ginny: Hang on… Ginny didn't review this chapter… D:**

**CHAPTER TIME!**

…

[25th December, T.A. 3018]

Lola's eyes managed to prise themselves open, only to be hit with the intense light.

She wasn't really a morning person.

"Is anybody?" She groaned to herself.

She managed to sit up. Ginny was sitting beside her, eating lembas, and Tran and Julia were practicing with swords about five metres from the campsite.

"I feel like I've just been hit by a mack truck," Lola sighed, sitting up fully.

"So do I," Ginny laughed, "Have some lembas."

Lola caught the chunk of bread and bit into it. "What's happening today?"

"Today is when the Fellowship set out," Ginny reminded her, "Tran thinks we'll go about two miles east, and we'll be all set. It's about ten o'clock at the moment, but we're leaving at twelve."

"Hey, that means it's Christmas!" Lola said excitedly, and then joked, "What did you get me?"

Ginny laughed again, "We're just out in the middle of the wild, but I popped into the last Whitcoulls we saw and got you a new copy of Lord of the Rings."

"Yay!" Lola threw up her hands excitedly.

"I don't think Tran slept much last night," Ginny grinned, "Considering he got the wet blanket,"

Lola laughed. They only had five blankets—and so one of them had had to use the wet one. Tran, usually being the one to take one for the team, had received that blanket.

"It will hopefully be dry by tonight though." Ginny continued, finishing her lembas and zipping up her pack, "Otherwise, someone else will have a turn."

They sat in silence for a bit, watching Tran teaching Julia some basic tips.

"You're so much better than us at sword fighting," Lola mused.

"Not really," Ginny shrugged.

"Yeah, you are—but I put it down to your experience," Lola began to fold up her blanket.

Ginny frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been practicing since Rivendell, and all those secret lessons at night… honestly, it's no surprise you're better!" Lola explained.

There was silence. Ginny's mouth fell open. How did she know?

"Ginny," Lola snapped her fingers in front of her friend's face, "Ginny, you ok? You look a bit gormless. Close your mouth."

"How did you know?" Ginny gasped.

Lola snorted. "It's fairly obvious that you're Tran's favourite student. Then I saw you guys at night and… I started wondering. Then I remembered how you already had your sword before Tran gave them to us, and how you guys kept on disappearing… it all started to make sense, everything fit."

"Does Julia know?" Ginny asked.

"Of course," Lola said, "I told her when I first figured it out, the first night we had in the wild. I couldn't get to sleep, and then I heard you get up and then I saw you dancing—"

"Dancing? We weren't dancing…" Ginny frowned.

"I meant sparring." Lola explained, "It just reminded me of dancing at the time."

"Ok…"

"Anyway, and I figured it out then." Lola finished, shoving her blanket into her pack.

"Are you mad?" Ginny said after a long silence, "That we went off and didn't tell you?"

"No," Lola shrugged, "Julia was a little bit, at first. But it's cool now. In fact, I think it's cute."

"…wha—cute?" Ginny spluttered, confused, "What do you mean—"

But Lola was already walking towards Tran and Julia, sword in hand.

…..

At midday they continued down the river, searching for a shallower spot for them to cross. They had already been walking for half an hour, and there still didn't seem to be any change in depth.

A mile and a half had already passed and the sun was high in the sky. They were tired and hot and they walked in silence.

They were becoming discouraged. How would they ever find a way to cross? There were no bridges.

Their plan was already falling apart.

They started to wonder why they had come. They all yearned to be back home, in their bubble-wrapped twenty-first century world.

Why were they there? A question not even Elrond had been able to answer.

Were they doing the right thing? A question prodded at but not yet spoken.

Would they ever be able to go back to their time? A question beginning to form in all of their minds.

A question that could not be asked, for fear the answer would be no.

Minutes seemed to drag on forever. Each step felt as though their ankles were attached to chains, and it was a huge effort to keep going.

Then something amazing happened. The water began to get shallower.

They all watched, silent as they walked, as the water got more and more shallow. Finally it was low enough for someone to cross without swimming.

"Ok," Tran broke the silence, "Who's going first?"

More silence. They looked at each other.

"Tran… you're the gentleman," Julia smiled encouragingly.

"Julia… ladies first," Tran smiled back.

"Fine, I'll go first," Lola grumbled, pushing forward.

There was still one problem—while the water was now not so deep, the current was not necessarily slower. Lola poked her foot in to test the water.

"It's quite fast…" She dithered for a moment, staring at the river.

"We should all hold hands," Ginny suddenly said, "And cross together. That's what you're meant to do with rivers. It makes you stronger."

"Ok," Lola hastily jumped back from the water, "Ginny was a girl scout. We should listen to her,"

"Always listen to the girl scout," Julia said philosophically.

They devised a system in which they would link arms securely and walk slowly so they could make sure their footing was correct.

Lola was still the first to set foot in the water. "Holy crap, it's cold!"

Then came Julia, and Ginny, and finally Tran. The water was up to their thighs and was absolutely freezing. It battered against them, but together they were too strong for the current.

They began to move forward. It was approximately forty metres to the other side—and not one of them was looking forward to the journey.

They struggled against the current, moving slowly and deliberately, crying out encouragements to each other. Their legs were numb. Their clothes were wet.

It was slow and painful. But it was working.

Julia slipped and fell into a dip in the riverbed. She shrieked as the water crept up her waist.

It was nature against the foursome. The foursome against nature.

At the moment, the foursome was not winning—but they were surviving.

"Halfway there!" Ginny cried.

The current here was stronger than they had anticipated, and it began to get deeper, too. The water was now nearing their hips. Tran screamed as the water reached his—ah, vulnerables.

"It may've been ten years, but Tran, my friend—you still scream like a girl," Ginny tried to lighten the mood, almost succeeding.

It was unpleasant.

But gradually, they neared the end. The water became shallower. It became thigh-height again.

And then—all of a sudden—they were collapsing onto dry land and laughing and cheering and rejoicing in their survival.

They congratulated each other.

They ate a strip of dried meat each to celebrate.

Then they carried on walking.

One challenge had been completed, but they knew there would be others up ahead.

…..

"It's about two o'clock already," Tran sighed as he stared at the map, "That took up a lot of time."

"But we don't know what time the Fellowship set off from Rivendell," Lola reminded him. She pointed to the map, "They plan to hold their road west to the Misty Mountains for a while—and they may be travelling close to the mountains, too. We don't know. I seem to recall, in the book, when they leave; there was no songs or farewells, the elves just faded into the shadows. Maybe that means they left at night?"

They stopped walking.

"We need to discuss this," Tran sighed.

They spread out the maps in front of them. There was a big one of Middle Earth that stretched from Eriador to Rhun, ending at Forodwaith in the north and Haradwaith in the south. There was another one that was centred on the east of Eriador, featuring Bree, Rivendell, Weathertop, Trollshaws, and the Misty Mountains. Then there was another two—one of southeast Eriador and one of southwest Rhovanion (more commonly known as Wilderland) for the later journey (centring on south Mirkwood and Lothlorien).

They put away the maps that were of no use to them, and peered at the big map and the east-of-Eriador map.

"See, we're here, right?" Lola pointed.

"No, more like here," Tran corrected, pointing to a spot a little more south.

"Ok," Lola nodded, "So here, then. If the Fellowship left at night, and they're in Rivendell, it would take them a fair amount of time to reach where we are—and perhaps they stayed closer to the mountains."

"Yeah, I think they did stay closer to the mountains…" Ginny frowned, "Otherwise, it would've taken them a longer time to reach the-mountain-that-I-can't-pronounce…"

"Caradhras," Lola reminded her.

"Yeah, that." Ginny nodded, "And I remember a part in the book where Gimli was naming all the mountains, because I was like: 'How the hell does he pronounce all these!?'"

"So, what should we do?" Julia bit her lip.

"The mountains will be sparse," Lola warned, "And so if we beat them there, there is no chance of us hiding."

"So," Tran concluded, "If we rest here for a while—because otherwise we will go to fast, considering you think they actually might've left at night… and then go a little bit north, coz' we went quite far south when we were walking down the river—and then rest as we go because of the time… and then go west, we should be fine."

"Yes," Lola nodded slowly, "Hopefully. I'm kind of afraid we're never gonna find them."

"What a mess!" Julia laughed nervously.

…..

They rested a while in that spot, out of paranoia they were going too fast. They did a little sword training, but mostly just lazed around and talked.

"We've done Lord of the Rings, but who's your favourite character in Harry Potter?" Julia suddenly asked, as they sat, nibbling on dried fruit as a snack.

"Um…" Ginny thought for a moment, "Neville. He's cool. Clumsy, but really, really cool."

"Oh yeah, Neville!" Lola cried, "I love Neville. Especially his accent. Irish, isn't it? And I like Luna, because she's really dreamy and she's a Ravenclaw."

"What about you, Tran?" Ginny asked.

"Gandalf." Tran said.

Ginny frowned sceptically. "I think we should keep a close watch on this guy."

"I also love Hagrid!" Lola grinned.

"Ohhh yeah, Hagrid!" Ginny said, "Hagrid's so cool too."

"Team Hagrid!" Lola cried, and she and Ginny high-fived.

"I like Luna, coz' she's cool, and funny and different." Julia spoke, "And Fred and George—"

"Oh yeah," Ginny nodded.

"—because they're awesome rebels who are in sync," Julia finished.

"I like Draco Malfoy, because I hate Harry just like him," Lola decided.

"We should probably get going," Tran suddenly said, "It's like, three or four in the afternoon."

"True," Ginny agreed, standing up.

"Hey guys," Lola said as they walked, "Fred or George verse Merry and Pippin."

…..

The walked for about two miles north, which was about as long as the Fred/George Merry/Pippin argument lasted. Lola was yelling something about Fred and George having 'little moral integrity', Ginny was trying to say that Lola didn't know enough about Fred and George to make that judgement, Julia was asking what Lola meant by moral integrity, and Tran was up the front trying his hardest to ignore them.

"Hey, I'm Legolas," Tran suddenly called, trying to shut them up.

It went very, very quiet.

"No, I'm Legolas!" Ginny cried, pushing her way to the front.

"I don't wanna be Gandalf!" Julia said in a frenzy to take Aragorn's place for her own.

Lola had already taken up her position as Aragorn and was currently fighting for Legolas.

Tran settled into the comfy position of Gandalf, simply glad they weren't arguing about Fred and George any more.

…..

They finally turned east after another mile or so. It was five o'clock and the day was dimming a little.

The conversation had simmered down. Julia and Lola chatted up ahead, and Tran had joined Ginny up front.

"What were you doing before this happened?" Tran asked suddenly, turning to Ginny. The suddenly change in subject had been abrupt—they had been talking about distances and maps one moment, and this next.

"Studying photography at art school," Ginny replied, "I dunno what I was gonna do with it. I had no idea. My life was so… messy."

"What do you mean by messy?" Tran frowned.

"Well, for one, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life," Ginny sighed, "It just… all went so fast, you know? One minute we were schoolkids and the road was set for us… next minute we were adults trying to stay afloat. I was just like, 'Ok, what do you like? What are you interested in?' That turned out to be photography,"

Ginny paused, before carrying on, "But what can you honestly do with photography? Hardly anything. I worked at a clothing shop and earned enough money to live on and buy a flat somewhere decent… but I wasn't happy, you know? It was messy. I was messy. And then there was the boy thing…"

"Oh?" Tran raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Ginny wrinkled up her nose, "I did some things I will regret. Everything was a waste of time. I didn't know… I still don't. Anyway, I did learn something—men are a waste of time."

Tran looked at her. "Do you think there's anything that will make you change your mind about that?"

Ginny stared at him for a moment, before replying;

"Maybe."

…..

A/N: I hope it turned out ok… Review anyway!


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hello! Sorry the chapter took so long! It's just really hard to write something like this when your basis is fading… i.e. I hardly spend any time with Julia and Tran any more. And also, homework! DX But never fear, I will not give up this story! :D**

**I just finished reading Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian, so now they can have arguments about Percy Jackson! Yaaay! Just needa read the Hunger Games now… I also watched the Percy Jackson first movie… why the hell is Grover black? And why does Annabeth have brown hair? And why do they never see Ares or Hermes? And why are they, like, sixteen when they're meant to be eleven? And why is the entire plot different? **

**They completely screwed that movie. DX**

**Today we actually get to see the Fellowship! But we don't meet up with them yet, sadly. Next chapter, hopefully. **

**Mr Precious: Review time!**

**That was the dancing llama with a hat full of tacos from last chapter. I hope you're happy, Kyle! ;)**

**Melissa: Glad you liked the chapter—Lola (i.e. me) doesn't like Harry for multiple reasons I will not list all here (mind you, I've only seen the movies, but know quite a lot about it anyway). Some of them are:**

**-Everyone always goes on about how kind he is, but he seems to be always taking things out of Ron and Hermione.**

**-I overall don't enjoy his character very much.**

**- 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'. 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'. 'Harry Potter and the…' 'Harry Potter and the…' 'Harry Potter and the…' 'Harry Potter and the…'**

**So yeah. ;)**

**Brightpath2: Technology, eh? So sensitive! It usually obeys me, but… it doesn't like Ginny quite as much. XD I hope it's still going well, is it fair to assume it will be done soon? :) I'm really excited to see it!**

**In other news: Haven't heard from Tran, ditto Julia, Ginny's still more enthusiastic about high school than me… and me, my sister and my dad are still trying to complete the Star cup on Mario Kart wii! (My sister, dad and I are pretty much obsessed with Mario Kart. I play Peach, my sister plays Daisy, and my dad plays Funky Kong.)**

**On with the chapter!**

…..

[25th December, T.A. 3018]

_"The more mature the cheese, the sharper."—Shire proverb_

Pippin was hungry.

That could have been an understatement. Pippin was absolutely starving, the feeling intensified, as he had never in his life been actually hungry before.

It was night. The ground was hard and grassless. The Fellowship slept in a camp that had no fire.

They could not risk fire out here in the wild at night. Their dinner had been both cold and pitifully small, so Pippin thought.

But the young hobbit had held his tongue. He had not complained. He was not weak, he could survive like this. He was small among these tall men whom had seen so many dark mighty beautiful things he would never see, Aragorn heir of Isildur, Boromir of Gondor, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, Gimli son of Gloin, even the wise wizard Gandalf; but he tried to ignore that. He could be Peregrin son of Paladin of the Shire, the future Thain and brave companion to Frodo Baggins.

Pippin was hungry.

He sighed, muttered a few sharp words to his grumbling stomach, and rolled over in his blanket.

He knew deep down this would never be so.

What was he doing here, on this quest? He was simply a pain, a piece of luggage. What could he contribute?

Peregrin son of Paladin of the Shire was not worthy of the title. Peregrin son of Paladin was simply Pippin, the spoiled, rich child from Tuckborough. The bratty Thain's son who sprinkled spiders down girls' dresses and laughed as they squealed.

Pippin sighed. Pippin turned over. Pippin thought of home and his, nice comfortable bed.

But it was Peregrin who ignored the hunger pangs and fell asleep.

…..

[26th December, T.A. 3018]

Ginny rolled over and sat up wearily. It was early morning; the sun had only just begun to rise, and Tran, Julia and Lola were not awake yet.

She kicked off her blanket and stood up on shaky legs. She could see mountains in the distance—the Misty Mountains. She wasn't sure how far away—a day or so walk?

Glancing over at her sleeping companions, she strode around the campsite. It appeared that Lola had been on watch, but had fallen asleep on the job.

Ginny sighed. They could have easily been attacked in that time. She was very lucky they hadn't, but Ginny forgave Lola. They were all tired. It could've happened to anyone under the circumstances.

She checked their water satchels and their food supplies, before returning to her blanket and sitting cross-legged on top of it.

It was now fully light. Tran stirred, and Ginny watched as he slowly came to his senses, pushing back his bed-hair as he did so.

"Good morning," He mumbled. Then he flopped back down.

"Oh no you don't," Ginny waggled her finger at him, "You're going to get up and do sword practice with me."

Tran mumbled a few words Ginny didn't quite understand.

She frowned, trying to work it out. Then she gasped, "Are you speaking in elvish?"

"Maybe."

"You're speaking in elvish, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

"You are."

"Ye-ep."

"How?" Ginny stared wide-eyed at him.

"I've lived with elves for five years. I'm not fluent, but I've picked up a few words," Tran shrugged, rubbing his bleary eyes.

"Cool!" Ginny cried, "So, what d'ya say?"

Silence. Tran didn't answer.

"Tran? What did you say?"

"I'm not telling you."

Ginny scowled, "You just swore at me in elvish, didn't you?"

"Maaaaaybe…"

"What did you say?"

"I'm not saying."

"Tran!"

"I'm not saying."

"Tell me!"

"Denied."

"Argghh!" Ginny cried, rushing over to Tran.

Tran stared up at her, confused. Grinning, Ginny plucked the glasses from his face and bounded off.

"Ginny!" Tran sighed, staggering to his feet and went jogging after her.

She was nowhere to be seen. Tran furrowed his brows. Where—

He jumped and stifled a scream as Ginny grabbed his shoulders from behind. Once he regained his wit, he twirled around and swatted at her, but she had already run off.

He chased after her, his vision blurry. She had a head start but Tran was fitter, and a faster runner overall.

He eventually caught up to her and grabbed both of her arms. She cried out and tried to pull them away, laughing as she did so.

They had an epic tug of war. "Tell me!" Ginny shrieked as she went down.

Now that Ginny was on the ground, Tran could easily retrieve his glasses without much of a fight. Putting them on, he held out his hand to pull Ginny up.

Ginny took it gratefully, and suddenly they were standing, facing each other, and it was silent.

Tran opened his mouth, and closed it again. He waited for Ginny to speak, but she didn't.

So he stared. He drank in her grey eyes and freckles and her carrot-coloured hair and suddenly she was no longer Ginny, no longer the eccentric, weirdly smart thirteen-year-old he had known at intermediate. She was the fiery-haired angel he had seen during the wolf fight, standing in a halo of flame.

Ginny waited for Tran to speak, but he didn't. So she stared.

She watched his careful gaze and his dark eyes and pale skin. He wasn't the Tran she had known at intermediate any longer, the gawky, gangly kid he had once resembled. He was a man now, tall and hard and beautiful.

It was Ginny who closed the gap between them. They stood, centimetres apart, studying each other wearily.

Their faces touched. It was a shock at first, but both found it was pleasant.

They nuzzled each other, barely aware of it as they locked themselves in their own private thoughts. Slowly, without their conscious selves realizing, their bodies began to move in unison.

But slowly they began to realize, and their inhibitions took over.

_This is all wrong._

Their lips were millimetres apart, but they could not bring themselves to make them meet.

_What are we doing?_

They stepped away from each other abruptly, fearful and confused, unable to meet each other's eyes.

_We're only friends._

Ginny was an expert at veiling her emotions, and Tran would stay quiet about his thoughts if he chose. But in that moment neither could think straight. They could not bear to be in each other's presence any longer.

They separated. They walked away.

…

When Lola woke it was already light out. She estimated it was about nine o'clock. Groaning, she sat up.

Tran and Ginny were sitting on opposite sides of the camp, finishing off their breakfast. Lola raised her eyebrows but did not comment.

Julia was still asleep. Lola stood up, grabbed a half piece of lembas from her pack, and sat next to Ginny.

"Hey ho!" Ginny smiled as Lola sat beside her.

"Hey," Lola took a bite out of her lembas, before looking up at the mountains. "How long do you think we have to go?"

"I think we'll have another day before we find the Fellowship. We'll continue going east towards the mountains." Ginny replied.

"What does Tran think?" Lola asked, noticing the way she had said 'I think' instead of 'Tran thinks'.

Ginny stiffened up. "What does it matter what Tran thinks?"

"Well, he's our official map-guy, right?" Lola frowned. "So, what does he think?"

Ginny said nothing.

"Ginny…?" Lola poked her, "What's wrong? What did Tran do?"

Ginny still didn't say anything.

"Ginny."

Silence.

"Ginny!"

Silence.

"Oh, for god's sake!" Lola sighed exasperatedly, "I am so f***ing over this! This whole thing! This whole journey! Why couldn't this be a normal girl in Middle Earth where we never even get dirty! And now you and Tran have had your little 'falling out'!"

Tran looked up abruptly at the scene. Ginny flinched.

"You're not even going to tell me anything!" Lola yelled, standing up, "You know what your problem is, Ginny Elton—you don't know when you need help! You don't think you need to listen to anybody—you're so superior! You seem to think we can have little fights within ourselves; well, guess what, there's no time for that."

Lola stomped over to Tran.

"What happened?" She demanded.

Tran swallowed and stared up at her. He could not bear to tell her what had happened; he was trying to forget it himself.

Lola flung her hands up in the air and cried, "I give up. I bloody well give up!"

And she was gone, fuming.

Ginny turned to Tran. "She'll come back."

Tran did not reply.

…..

[26th December, T.A. 3018]

Merry walked in sullen silence.

Pippin had been pestering him for ages, trying to get him to talk or play some stupid game. It had irritated Merry so much he had actually had to tell his cousin to shut up.

Pippin, hurt, had retreated, and now Merry walked in silence.

Merry sort of wished Pippin was still there to distract him, because something was playing on his mind.

That thing was none other than Estella Bolger.

Merry pushed her out of his mind, but she somehow managed to sneak in again. He bit his lip and scowled resolutely. He would not let Estella plague his mind when he was on such an important quest.

But there she was again, her rosy face framed by her tawny curls, two olive eyes and a smiling mouth. Merry grimaced, but then his lips began to tingle and he broke.

Had Estella ever been his sweetheart, he wondered. Had she ever, for a moment, been his?

No, he replied, she was stolen. That kiss was one he had stolen. It was not meant for him.

He bit his lip again and squeezed his eyes shut. Oh, how he wished she were here!

He had not even said goodbye. He may never see her again, and he had not even said goodbye.

But she was not his. He had stolen the kiss from the rightful lad.

_Mosco Burrows is a twat._

_Ah yes,_ his mind answered, _But you are a thief! Does that make you any better?_

Merry grimaced harder, screwing up his eyes, trying to stop his thoughts, blocking them with new ones.

_My, is that a new robe that Gandalf is wearing—_

_Thief!_

_Isn't it a nice day—_

_Thief!_

_I wonder how Elrond is doing back in—_

_Thief!_

"Shut up!" Merry muttered sharply, earning a strange look from Boromir and Aragorn, who were walking ahead.

Merry sighed and called, "Pippin!"

"Yes?" Pippin turned around.

"Would you like to play the game now?"

"Oh yes," Pippin nodded, bounding over.

Merry smiled. Hopefully his cousin would be able to push the thoughts out of his mind.

…..

"Arggghh!" Julia moaned as she sat up.

Tran and Ginny glanced over. Lola still was not back yet, and they could use someone to break the tension in the air.

"What?" Ginny asked, concerned at Julia's pained look.

Julia flopped back down. "Period cramp."

"Oh!" Ginny said sympathetically. "How bad?"

"Pretty bad," Julia groaned, "As in: 'unable to move' bad."

"Ah, crap."

At Rivendell, the three women had been given a sort of pad to use during that time of the month. This was reusable after washing. However, the elves did not have any form of magical elixir to help with the pains of being a woman.

"It's times like these when I really wish I was a boy," Julia pulled her blanket over her face. "You're so lucky, Tran."

Tran looked a little bit flustered. "How long does this 'unable to move' thing last?"

"Depends," Ginny shrugged, "It's different all the time."

"Damn," Tran frowned, "So, we won't be moving for a while, then?"

"Possibly."

"Blah." Julia muttered from her blanket cave.

…..

**A/N: Hopefully you liked the Pippin and Merry scenes, they were fun to write! And making up the Shire proverb. That was cool.**

**The Julia gets period pains spiel was based on a true experience that left me bedridden all morning! DX They won't be moving for a while…**

**Next chapter there should be a Percy Jackson discussion! Excuse me while I go get the Hunger Games… *wanders down to the library***

**Mr Precious: Don't forget to review!**

**Pippin: And get a (virtual) LIMITED TIME Phillip action figure! **

**Mr Precious: Review now for this exclusive offer!**

**Pippin: Not available in stores, so…**

**Mr Precious: REVIEW!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Only a week in between this update and last one! YEAH! **

**Haven't actually been getting that much homework, but I have a page of term's worth homework for English. English is probably the subject where I get most homework, which is good coz I like it. :) Also, I watched the second Percy Jackson movie, which they got a lot of stuff right in! **

**In case anyone cares, my dad, sister and I won the Star Cup on Mario Kart Wii the other day, and unlocked Dry Bowser. **

**Anyway, reviews!**

**Brightpath2: That's okay. Hopefully it will be done soon! :) Glad you liked the chapter!**

**ScarlettPimpernel00: Pippin's doing well at the moment. He's a little bit annoyed, because now he has to share his closet with Mr Precious the dancing llama, and he takes up a lot of space. I agree with you—Merry definitely deserves the stolen kiss. **

**Melissa: Haha, I wish I could worship Tolkien sometimes. I will read the Harry Potter books someday, because I can't go through my life saying I've never read Harry Potter. ;) Also, thanks about the talented thing! **

**In other news: Haven't heard from Tran or Julia, Ginny's learning the bassoon and French horn and I am learning the flute. (FLUTE IS AWESOME)**

**AAAAAND CHAPTER!**

…..

[12th October 2013]

Continuation of Gully Flashback

"Come on," Tran coaxed gently, "Just slide down now…"

"Ow!" Julia yelped as she was pricked, "Ah, Lola? This is a little bit awkward!"

"Ok." Lola said. "Hey, I got rid of my blood blister by the way, you guys."

"Yay," Ginny clapped. Lola had hit herself with a nail in hard materials a couple of weeks previous.

"You what?" Julia frowned.

"I got rid of my blood blister," Lola repeated. "This morning."

"How?" Julia asked.

"Well, actually, I like managed to pull the skin off," Lola explained, "But then it was just like, this random _scab_ underneath my skin, and it wasn't even blood anymore, and so like, I just picked it out."

"Ew." The other three said simultaneously.

"It was gross," Lola agreed, "But like, there's still a circle there."

Julia finally managed to get out of her gorse prison.

"Yay, you're here," Ginny took her stick and made a knighting motion with it on Julia's shoulders. "You are smart."

"I'm really itchy in some places," Tran frowned.

"Who has the bag?" Said Lola, who was holding the towel.

"I have it," Tran motioned towards the blue Weetbix Triathlon swimming bag. Lola started stuffing the blanket inside it.

"I think we all deserve some chocolate but I can't really be bothered," She sighed.

"I'm itchy," Tran complained.

"We need to find some dock for you," Ginny decided.

"I saw some dock like, way up there." Lola motioned towards the gorse.

"Oh." Ginny sighed.

"What's 'dock'?" Tran asked.

"A plant," Julia replied.

"It helps with irritation," Lola added.

After they had all eaten some chocolate (except for Tran, because it was almond chocolate and he didn't like nuts) it was a simple matter of what to do next.

"Can we not go through any more gorse," Julia's shoulders slumped, "I am absolutely freaking _sick_ of gorse."

"We could go up to the farm place," Lola suggested, pointing up at the farm beyond the gorse, and then to the path in the distance they would have to take to get there.

"Noooo, can we go home now?" Julia whined.

"I thought we were going to the patch?" Tran frowned.

"What? Oh my god, the patch is like… through… _gorse_." Lola reminded him.

"Like this?" Tran gestured towards the way they had just come from.

"Um… well…" Lola paused, "I have dirt on my ass, but anyway… I don't think it's as bad as this."

"Can we just go now?" Julia sighed.

"Awww…" Tran said sadly.

"Tran!" Julia cried, "You do this, and then you get there, and you're like, 'Oh I don't wanna do it…'"

"Oh. My. God." Ginny laughed.

"But I wanted to see it," Tran pouted.

"Don't worry. It's not very interesting," Julia assured him.

"Hey, there's an electric fence—we could try to get through that!" Lola said cheerfully, pointing to an electric fence stretching from one slope to the other.

"No…" Julia grumbled.

"What's up there?" Tran asked, peering past the fence.

"Ah… more gorse?" Lola shrugged, "And a farm."

"It'll be easy to travel through," Ginny said, "And all we've got to do is walk there,"

They finally reached the fence. It was reasonably short, only about a metre above the ground, and consisting of two wires.

"Ok," Lola addressed them, "We need to figure out if this is electric or not!"

"It's not," Ginny answered.

There was silence.

"Touch it," Lola challenged.

Ginny stood on the bottom wire to make a space.

"Crawl under," She grinned.

"Yay!" Lola rejoiced, "I hope it's not actually electric,"

"Don't touch the top!" Ginny warned, before tapping it herself, "Yep, it's not electric. Otherwise, I just realized, I would've been electrocuted."

Lola ducked under and crawled to the other side, followed by Tran and then Julia.

"And this," Lola pointed to a dip in the rock, "Is a random concave that the water carved out."

The dip was not actually rock, but clay—dug out by the stream that evidently used to run down it.

"Hey guys," Julia grinned, pointing to a tiny hole in the dip, "Why don't we crawl in that small hole there?"

"YES!" Ginny cried excitedly.

"No," Tran laughed.

"Unless one of us is like, a shape-shifter, I don't think we can get in there," Lola smiled.

"Yeah. I'd shape-shift into an ant," Julia nodded wisely, "A very useful skill to have."

"Yeah," Lola rolled her eyes.

"No, it actually would be," Julia said, "Coz you could listen in on other people's conversations. I mean like, a fox doesn't randomly walk into a room."

They walked for a while through the brown grass. Ginny, bored, stabbed Tran twice with her stick. The journey was otherwise uneventful.

They reached a step track leading up the side of the slope.

"That leads to the farm," Lola nodded, "Should we go up there?"

"Nooo, can we go home now?" Julia groaned. "I've got a prickle in my hand."

"I've got a prickle in my ass," Said Lola, not to be outdone.

"Pickle?" Ginny joked.

"P_R_ICKLE!" Julia yelled.

By this point they were already walking up the slope. Tran had bounded up the top and the other three were halfway.

"Guys… I'm gonna go back home…" Julia turned around.

"Oh no! Come come come come come!" Ginny called.

"It's so boring up there!" Julia complained, "We just walk for like, hours, and then…"

"It's good fitness—and Tran's already up there," Lola pointed out.

"Ten minutes longer," Ginny said.

"No…" Julia sighed.

Suddenly a faint voice came from the top of the hill.

"It's so pointless!"

Lola burst out laughing as Tran came over the slope, waving his hands about and crying "It's so _pointless_!" over and over again.

"I know, exactly!" Julia agreed with him.

"It's so _pointless_!"

End Flashback

…

[26th December, T.A. 3018]

Because of Julia's period pains, the foursome did not set off till midday.

This, however, was ok, because it meant they would (hopefully) be there the right time for the Fellowship. Once they packed up camp, they began to walk east.

The Misty Mountains were becoming clearer and clearer in the distance, their snowy peaks caressing the milky blue sky.

They walked mostly in silence, none of them having one bit of conversation left in them.

Until, of course, came the words:

"I think it's high time for a Percy Jackson discussion."

The other three swung around to face—of course—Ginny.

"What, like 'if you were a demigod who would be your parent' thing?" Lola asked. Ginny nodded enthusiastically.

"Ok," Julia grinned, "Ahhh… Ginny would definitely be a daughter of Athena,"

"Yeah!" Lola agreed.

"Who's Athena?" Tran frowned.

"Greek Goddess of Wisdom," Ginny replied.

"Because Ginny's so smart," Julia explained, "Like, I mean, come on, she's ginger!"

"What about you, Julia?" Ginny nudged her friend, "Who would you be daughter of?"

"I know—Hades!" Lola laughed.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, "I'm not too sure…"

"God of the Dead," Julia added for Tran's benefit.

"Maybe… I dunno… like… Hestia?" Lola suggested, "Goddess of the Hearth?"

"But she's a virgin goddess," Ginny frowned. "She doesn't have children."

"Can we just pretend she does?" Lola whined, "I can't think of anyone else…"

"Fine," Ginny sighed.

Julia thought for a moment. "I guess that works. She's cool."

"I once took an online quiz," Lola said, "That told me I was daughter of Apollo, God of Poetry, Music and the Sun."

"Cool," said Ginny, "The poetry part is pretty accurate."

Lola had always been an eager poet and writer.

"So," Julia said, "The three daughters of Athena, Hestia and Apollo."

"The three _badass_ daughters of Athena, Hestia and Apollo." Lola corrected.

"What about me?" Tran complained.

"Oh yeah," Lola smiled, "Now, this one is _definitely_ a Hades."

"What do you think, Tran?" Ginny asked.

"Gandalf." Tran said.

"Ok, this is just getting weird," Ginny backed away from him.

"Well, he doesn't know any of them, does he?" Lola reminded her, "Um… who do we have? Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Hera, Hephaestus, Hestia, Dionysus, Ares, Hermes, Demeter, Persephone."

"Definitely not Artemis… or Apollo. Not Hera, Athena, Hestia… definitely _not _Ares." Ginny decided, "I don't think any of the big three, either."

"I don't think its Dionysus," Julia added.

"I don't even know what you guys are talking about…" Tran said weakly.

After a long, thoughtful pause, Lola finally said, "Let's just make him a son of Hermes until he can be determined."

"Ok." Ginny nodded, "Seems fair."

"Gandalf?" Tran suggested.

"Son of Hermes, Daughter of Apollo, Daughter of Athena, Daughter of Hestia," Lola pointed to each of them and she in turn, "Cool."

…

It was late evening when they reached the edge of the mountains. Around them was no vegetation but for a dry brown tussock that grew here and there in the rocky, cold climate.

A cool breeze was blowing as they stumbled up the rocks. There was no sign of life to be seen.

"I'll go up there to get a decent look at the surround," Tran said, before beginning to clamber up the rocks.

It wasn't a high climb, but a difficult one. There were hardly any foot holes in the rock and Tran nearly fell, twice. But once he reached a small plateau he was rewarded with a clear sight.

He could see all around them for miles, across the roots of the mountain and out into the plains from which they had come. He turned north.

Across the landscape, if he looked very hard, he could see tiny specks in the distance. There seemed to him to be about nine of the little black dots, some smaller than others, and one slightly larger one.

_The Fellowship._

"The Fellowship!" Tran cried, but his voice was lost of the cold wind. Sighing, he began the climb down.

He was only halfway down when he lost his footing and fell the rest of the way.

The women were scrambling for him, asking if he was ok, but he brushed them off and began babbling mindless idiom about black dots due north.

"Slow down," Julia told him.

Tran took a deep breath. "I can see the Fellowship, about half a mile away in the distance, coming from the north. I think they'll be passing through here."

Lola covered her mouth to suppress a fangirl scream.

"How long will it be before they get here?" Ginny asked.

"I dunno—maybe fifteen minutes," Tran shrugged.

"What should we do now?" Lola looked around at the group.

There was silence as they thought. The wind ruffled their hair, and Julia rubbed her bare arms to keep them warm.

"I think…" Tran began, "Maybe I should stay up there and keep watch on their progress."

"Oh, yep." Ginny agreed, "We'll stay down here and find a place to hide when they come past."

"Yeah. And when they get close I'll come down and tell you guys," Tran looked over them, "Kay?"

"Yeah," Lola nodded, "Gotcha. Stay here. Look for hiding places."

Julia saluted, "Good luck, son of Hermes."

"Gandalf," Tran said, and was gone, scrambling back up the slope.

The three women spent only five minutes looking for a hiding place. Their eventual decision was a small hole just big enough for the four of them to squeeze into. It was hidden by a couple of boulders situated in front of entrance.

Then, the daughters of Athena, Apollo and Hestia sat at the bottom of the hill, awaiting Tran's call.

Lola bit her lip. Now the adventure was really beginning.

…

**A/N: Yay! Hope you liked it! **

**Two questions to tell me in a review. One, for those who haven't already: Who's your favourite character out of the foursome? Tran, Julia, Ginny, Lola? Two, which is better: French Horn, Bassoon or Flute? (Me and Ginny were having na argument on it…) :P**

**Yay for Percy Jackson argument! Did you know, both Athena and Hestia are virgin goddesses, but Athena can have children because hers are literally born from her mind? For Julia I thought Hestia but then remembered she was a virgin goddess… oh well…**

**Anyway… REVIEW!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I've had a bit of writers block, so sorry it's a bit late! It's also a bit shorter than usual, but I had to get something out…**

**Replies to reviews!**

**Melissa: What I meant to say was, they got more right in the Sea of Monsters than The Lightening Thief. As in, Clarisse was there, Mr D was there (yay!) and the plot wasn't completely changed (it was a bit…) so yeah! **

**Lizzy of Angmar: Glad you're liking the realism in the story (I try very hard with this :) ) I sorta had some annoying voice in the back of my mind while writing that chapter "I don't think Neville's Irish…" but oh well, my characters can make mistakes! And also, go you, I'm half Irish on my dad's side! :)**

**ElfMarinade: Thanks for the review, NO there is definitely NOT going to be ANY OC/Canon romance. ;) I think I said that in an Author's Note, so yeah. Go to chapter 8 to find my reasons why. :D**

**Ginny: 'An agro little Tolkien-ist'…? But yeah, you're right, I don't think Legolas is gonna last long. ;) He appears in this chapter though!**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

…

[26 December, T.A. 3018]

Legolas walked alone and silent, his light feet padding on the ground as the Fellowship made their way across the rugged landscape.

The air around them was becoming colder as they walked closer and closer to the mountains. This area had the coldest temperatures from Eriador to Rhun—the only colder place known to him was Forodwaith in the north, and even then, he had never been there, even in his long life.

In fact, the woodland elf had spent most of his eight-hundred-and-ninety-two years in Mirkwood, his home, without ever venturing further than it's borders. He was conscious of the fact he was not accustomed to travelling, and that he actually knew very little of the outside world.

He had spent his lifetime in the trees, only occasionally dreaming of the rest of his world; never once among the scent of leaves and tree-bark did he speak any word of malcontent.

He had once, as a young boy, been taken to Esgaroth; but the visit had been brief and his family had not been welcomed warmly there by the townspeople.

Of course, there had been the trip to Rivendell only months previous. Oh, how he had marvelled at the sights and sounds! The flat, treeless plains, the mighty mountains glistening against the periwinkle backdrop, the vast, open rivers like throbbing veins stretching across the temple of the land.

His companions, used to travelling, had not noticed him stopping in his tracks just to breath in the air, just to feel how the wind whispered holy glossolalia in his ears in a way it did not do within the muffled tunnels of trees back in his homeland.

And now he was here, travelling with the Fellowship of the Ring, the nine companions, to distant lands and whatever end.

There was something that unsettled Legolas somewhat though—the way the hobbits looked at him.

It was in their expressions— awe.

_What an amazing man, to have lived so long…_

Legolas felt uncomfortable under their admiring eyes.

…_he must be so wise and hold so much knowledge._

The truth was, Legolas did not feel he lived up to their expectations. He was not wise or knowledgeable. He had hardly left the woods in which he lived; he hardly knew where they were going. He wouldn't recognize the area they were in even if he were given a map of it.

But still they stared, eyes wide and wet like a fauns, worshippers of a non-existent god.

So Legolas walked alone and did not speak to them, for fear he might have to tell tales of the "great adventures" he had never had.

It wasn't just that—there was _guilt_ in the fact he had never been outside the forest.

The hobbits would give anything to be immortal like him, he could see that. To live such a long life was a gift in their eyes.

To spend all that time in the same place, doing the same things again and again… what a waste. In his mind, Legolas could see their faces fall as the words come out: _I had never actually been outside Mirkwood before now._

Suddenly, Legolas saw a movement out the corner of his eye. He swivelled round to look at the boulder from which it had come from.

He stared for a moment, motionless and poised like a cat, but there was no movement again.

_Now I am seeing things._

He sighed heavily and moved on.

He could not believe he had not realized till now. He had this gift of eternal life; this gemstone of an offering to a mortal man, like the gold-filled halls of Erebor this endowment bestowed upon him was a treasure like no other. His race was envied. _He_ was envied.

Never had he cared, never had he thought of what he had. Eight-hundred-and-ninety-two years he had never considered himself lucky. Eight-hundred-and-ninety-two years he had whittled away into nothing, hiding in his home, never seeking anything more.

_What a waste._

Legolas began to walk faster, as if he could leave this guilt behind, but he could not, for it was inside his head. Soon he was right behind Aragorn.

_Now there is a man,_ he thought, _who knows thrice more than I. Yet I would consider him a child. _

Legolas sprang up onto a boulder like a graceful feline. His eyes darted around, taking in the mighty mountains and the grassy plains behind them and the Kodak blue of the sky.

There he stood, scanning the world, seeking his errand, a quest, a purpose.

…..

"Now that was a close one." Lola breathed.

The moment Legolas had seen them was a fearful moment for all of them. A moment, of rising or falling, of life or death, of truth and deception. Their future had hung in the air, like a frozen cloud, wispy and hardly visible, a foul omen.

It had vanished when the elf had turned around again, muttering to himself.

The small cave was certainly smaller than all of them anticipated. They were vacuumed packed in the hole, their bodies pressing against each other, their hearts beating together, one pulsing being.

"They gone?" Tran whispered.

They fell silent. There were no footsteps to be heard coming from outside. Julia, closest to the exit, peered out.

More silence, as they waited for the verdict.

"Nobody," Julia said finally, beginning to make her way out. The others followed, glad for breathing space again.

As Lola got out (being the final person) the figures were already in the distance.

"Well," Julia swung her pack onto her back.

"Now we follow." Ginny turned to look at Tran, who nodded.

"We're far enough away we will still be able to see them without being seen by them," He decided, "We follow."

…..

[1st January, T.A. 3019]

Two days they had been following the Fellowship, and Julia was fully bored.

It had been exciting at first. Wow, they were following the paths of the Fellowship of the Ring!

But it had worn off a day ago. Even Lola seemed less enthusiastic. There was nothing left to talk about.

_Crunch_, _crunch_, _crunch_ as Julia walked over stones and pebbles. A sound just as monotonous as the exercise.

And to make it worse, it was beginning to get _freezing_. The women were only wearing their Bree dresses, the material durable but not insulating. Their arms and feet were bare. Last night had been so cold they had had to keep the fire going all night or risk hypothermia.

They walked in sullen silence.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch. _

With nothing much else to do, Julia began to think of Earth—or, the time frame that was Earth. She wondered if she would even see it again.

Then something stung her mind like a bullet. Phillip.

She felt tears prick in her eyes. Would she ever see _him_ again?

Memories one after the other knocked her down. His smile. His laugh. His dark eyes. His tanned skin—she remembered, choking back a sob, how it felt to press her own against it.

She remembered how he'd refused to go to Starbucks, because he claimed it was 'taking over the world'.

She remembered how he had hated that novelty cherub saltshaker, but let her have it because she'd thought it was cute.

She remembered how he'd first kissed her in the summer, amidst the hum of cicadas, how their hands had fitted perfectly, how their bodies had melted into each other in the hot sun, how her toes had dug into the sand.

The memories were vivid, some quirkier than others. She didn't realize tears were dripping down her cheeks until she tasted salt in her mouth.

…..

[3rd January, T.A. 3019]

Lola sat, awake in the darkness.

The night was frightening but beautiful. It was much darker than on Earth, with no light pollution. The only light source was the fat golf ball moon, and stars.

The stars were unlike those on Earth. There were far more of them, like a divine being had taken a handful of icing sugar and flung it across the ebony canvas. There were hundreds of millions of them, stretching across the cosmic infinity that was the sky.

A celestial phenomenon was the Arda sky, each tiny glassy pinprick of brightness glittering, vainglorious. Lola could see the radiance of Varda in every one. Some had coalesced into vast stretches of luminosity.

Lola was on first watch that night. She was cold and tired, but knew she mustn't fall asleep—that could be the death of them all.

So she prised her eyes open and stared into the infinite blackness. Stifling a yawn, she stood up and paced around the site. Perhaps this would keep her awake.

She did so for ten minutes, and was just as tired. But as she was about to sit down, she heard a noise.

She startled, head flitting around, looking for the source.

Fortunately, she did not have to look for long. It revealed itself to her before long.

Stumbling through the darkness came a figure, a small figure, staggering and obviously drowsy. Lola felt her breath catch in her throat.

He looked up. She stared. He stared.

"Shhh." She put a finger to her lips, her eyes as large and frightened as a possum's.

His eyes were wider, his mouth opened as if he could not comprehend what he was seeing.

_No!_ Lola could not believe this was happening.

_No!_

But it was, and she knew what it could mean—she just did not want to admit it to herself yet.

For standing before her was the one and only Peregrin Took.

…..

**A/N: And by the way, the foursome are NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GOING TO JOIN THE FELLOWSHIP. EVER. Just had to make that clear because after writing the last bit I thought it looked like they were about to join the Fellowship. WHICH THEY AREN'T. Sorry, just making it clear. :)**

**The Legolas thing was a little bit AU, but I think it's fine because nobody actually knows about Legolas's past. **

**Yaaay! Goldie actually updated! Let's all review!**

**Mr Precious: *Begins to sing Party Rock Anthem***

**Pippin: *Face palms***


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